Lonnie Walker IV spent only one season with the Los Angeles Lakers, but it was a memorable one, mainly because of his playoff heroics. The 26-year-old guard now plays for the Sixers after they signed him to a two-year deal in February, but he may not be in Philadelphia for much longer, especially after the team drafted V.J. Edgecombe with the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Walker made $780,932 in the last couple of months of the season with the Sixers and has a $2.9 million team option for 2025-26. He averaged 12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game for Philly, shooting 42% from the field and 35.4% from three in 20 contests (seven starts). Walker, who is from Pennsylvania, wants to stay with the Sixers, but the odds of the team picking up his option are extremely low.
Philadelphia signed Walker in the first place because the team needed depth to finish a disastrous season after a slew of injuries. Between drafting Edgecombe and hoping for good health next season, there isn't a need for the Sixers to keep Walker, at least not at that price.
Sixers likely won't pick up Lonnie Walker IV's option
It's been two years since Walker scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter of the Lakers' 104-101 Game 4 win over the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs, giving LA a 3-1 series lead. He shot 6-of-9 in the final quarter, hitting as many shots as Golden State did combined. The highlight of the night was when Walker pulled up for a jumpshot over Steph Curry, nailing it to give the Lakers a one-point lead with less than two minutes remaining.
Walker hadn't been in Darvin Ham's playoff rotation before Game 3 of the series against the Warriors, so he became the Lakers' unlikely hero. Fans wanted the front office to re-sign Walker in the 2023 offseason, but he left and signed a one-year deal with Brooklyn. His numbers and playing time dipped with the Nets. Walker hit free agency again last summer and signed a contract with the Celtics in August, but Boston waived him in October before the regular season started. He went overseas to play for Lithuania before he signed with the Sixers in February.
The guard will likely hit free agency again when Philadelphia doesn't pick up his option, which could lead him back overseas. Hopefully, things will work out in Walker's favor.