By Arthur Hill | at July 26, 2026 1:59 pm
The Sixers won the LeBron James sweepstakes and appear to be getting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as well, but they have to make other roster moves before those signings can become official. Philadelphia needs to open up $6.235MM below its first apron hard cap, which likely means parting with two players, writes Adam Aaronson of The Philly Voice, who examines the most likely candidates to be jettisoned.
**Dalen Terry**‘s $2.6MM option was picked up in June, but his contract remains non-guaranteed until the leaguewide guarantee date in early January. Aaronson notes that Terry became a popular locker room figure when he signed with the team in February following **Cameron Payne**‘s injury, but adds that he hasn’t developed enough of an offensive game in his four NBA seasons to justify a roster spot under the circumstances.
Jabari Walker made an impact as a two-way player last season and was promoted to a standard contract in February that included a $2.6MM salary for 2026/27 with a $250K guarantee. Aaronson notes that it would be a simple financial matter to waive Terry and Walker, leaving a roughly $2MM cushion under the hard cap once James and Caldwell-Pope are signed. However, Walker’s contributions can’t be overlooked. Coach Nick Nurse said he was the team’s best rebounder, and Aaronson states that Nurse believes Walker will eventually develop a reliable three-point shot. Even though he no longer projects to be one of the Sixers’ top four forwards, those skills and his physical defense may make him desirable enough to bring back at least a second-round pick in a trade.
Another option is parting with Johni Broome, the 35th pick in the 2025 draft, who only logged 55 total minutes during his rookie season. Aaronson notes that Broome’s $2.15MM guaranteed salary is less than the veteran’s minimum, which could make him attractive to teams looking for cheap ways to fill roster spots. If no trade is available, Philadelphia could consider waiving Broome and stretching his salary over three seasons.
There’s more on the Sixers:
Jaylen Brown has become eligible for a one-year contract extension worth up to $69MM, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). If he and the team decide to wait, he’ll be able to sign a three-year extension next summer. Any extension would signify a huge financial commitment to Brown, who has three years remaining on his supermax deal at $57.7MM, $61.7MM and $65.6MM.
For all the speculation about what might be influencing James’ free agency decision, it came down to a matter of where he thought he had the best chance to win another championship, sources tell Dan Woike of The Athletic. That meant more to him than his role in the offense, building on his legacy in Miami or Cleveland or teaming up with his friends in Golden State.
James’ decision to accept a $3.8MM veteran’s minimum contract means that at least 18 college basketball players will earn more than he does during the upcoming season through NIL money, according to Brendan Marks and Joe Rexrode of The Athletic.
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