Sixers Notes: McCain Trade, Draft Assets, Roster Spots, Barlow
Despite exceeding expectations so far this season and holding a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race at 29-22, the Sixers were sellers at the trade deadline, sending second-year guard Jared McCain to Oklahoma City in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick and three future second-rounders.
Speaking today to reporters, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey explained that the team remained active after agreeing to terms on that McCain deal in the hopes of adding win-now help.
“Because we’re playing well, we were trying to upgrade the team and add to the team now. That was goal number one,” Morey said, per Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice. “Obviously, no deal materialized, including using the picks we got from the Jared deal. We were trying to.
“That’s why we did that move a little early (in the week). We were trying to reuse those draft picks to add now. … The picks we got were offered to many teams, and nothing materialized for a player that we thought could move the needle with those picks now. But we feel like going forward, those picks will help us build the team in the future in a good way.”
McCain got off to an excellent start as a rookie in 2024/25 but underwent season-ending knee surgery and then had his 2025/26 debut delayed due to a procedure on his thumb. Despite the stop-and-start nature of his NBA career so far, the Thunder were willing to give up the sort of package for him that Morey felt he couldn’t turn down.
“I am quite confident we were selling high,” Morey said. “… And (we) weren’t looking to sell, I’ll be frank. Like, teams came to us with aggressive offers for him, and you could say, ‘Yeah, that’s ’cause he’s a good player.’ I agree with that. We thought this return was above, for the future value for our franchise, what we could get.
“… That return is for a starter quality player on a good team. That is – it’s actually above that. We do a lot of analysis on how we think things will play out, both here and around the league going forward in terms of the quality of play, what kinds of returns will return, what players in the future. And the bottom line is, Jared’s a player who is a great future bet and a potential great player, and we wish him luck. We feel like this return sets us up better to set up the team in the future better.”
Here’s more from Morey on the Sixers, via Aaronson:
- The fact that that the first-round pick Philadelphia acquired in the McCain deal will be in a 2026 draft considered to be loaded with talent wasn’t a determining factor in the Sixers pulling the trigger, according to Morey. “We’re not necessarily using the pick in this draft,” he said. “It could be used for moves around the draft. The three seconds that we got with it, we think could be used to move up in this draft. I and our front office have done a lot of deals over the years, and this just gives us more tools to make the moves that we think will help our future.”
- After ducking the luxury tax for a third straight trade deadline, Morey said he understands criticisms about the team’s approach to that tax threshold. However, he pointed out that the Sixers’ current ownership group has paid tax penalties in the past and would do so again if he identified an opportunity that warranted it. “I understand the perception, and I’d hoped to defeat it by finding a deal that I can go to ownership and say, ‘We think this move is the right move to do for that and create the apron issues that it would create,'” Morey said. “But I haven’t been able to recommend that move yet.”
- The Sixers have a full 15-man roster for the time being, but two of those spots are occupied by players on 10-day deals. Asked about how Philadelphia could eventually fill them, Morey mentioned a guard and a wing, but said the team will focus on adding the best player available. A Jabari Walker promotion from his two-way deal also remains a possibility, per Morey, who added that the team expects to be in on players on the buyout market as well. “I think we’re in the mix (for buyout players),” he said. “I think they see a really good team or a really good market. We’ve had a lot of conversations already. We’re obviously in competition with other teams, so I don’t know if we’ll get the first option necessarily, but we’ll be in there with getting some of the top options.”
- While Walker remains on his two-way deal, ineligible to suit up unless he’s converted to a standard contract, the Sixers’ other two-way standout, Dominick Barlow, was officially promoted to the 15-man roster on Thursday. According to Bobby Marks of Sports Business Classroom, Barlow was signed using a portion of Philadelphia’s taxpayer mid-level exception and will earn $3.4MM for the rest of this season, with a $3.4MM team option for 2026/27. Morey said on Friday that the 76ers would have liked to do a longer-term deal and aren’t ruling out the possibility of working out another multiyear contract with Barlow in the summer rather than picking up his option.
Sixers Promote Dominick Barlow To Standard Contract
The Sixers have promoted forward Dominick Barlow from his two-way deal to a standard contract ahead of their game against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday night, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice (Twitter link). The team has formally announced the move in a press release.
Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter links) first reported that the Sixers and Barlow were headed toward an agreement on a multiyear deal, and Aaronson confirms it’s a two-year contract with a team option for 2026/27.
Barlow, 22, signed a two-way contract with Philadelphia last summer after appearing in 96 games across three seasons for San Antonio and Atlanta. He quickly emerged as a key part of the Sixers’ rotation and has since become the team’s starting power forward.
In 40 games (33 starts) for the 76ers so far this season, Barlow has averaged 8.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in 24.0 minutes per contest. He’s shooting a career-high 55.0% from the floor and 80.0% from the free throw line.
Barlow was still eligible to appear in up to 10 more games while on his two-way contract, but he wouldn’t have been permitted to play if the Sixers were carrying fewer than 15 players on their standard roster. Even after signing Charles Bassey and Patrick Baldwin Jr. to 10-day deals on Thursday, Philadelphia was still at 14 players, so Barlow will fill the final spot on the roster and will no longer face an active game limit.
That means there’s no room on the roster at this point for another two-way standout, forward Jabari Walker. He has reached his 50-game limit and won’t be eligible to suit up for the Sixers unless he’s converted to a standard deal. However, the team can activate its other two-way player, MarJon Beauchamp, and will do so for Thursday’s game, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports.
According to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link), Barlow’s team option for next season is worth $3.4MM, which suggests the team is using its mid-level exception to go above the veteran’s minimum in order to sign the forward.
Grizzlies Acquire Eric Gordon From Sixers, Waive Georges Niang
6:08 pm: The trade is official, the Grizzlies confirmed in a press release (Twitter link). As expected, Niang has been released.
1:20 pm: The Sixers will trade veteran guard Eric Gordon and a second-round pick swap in 2032 to the Grizzlies, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Philadelphia will receive the draft rights to Justinian Jessup in return, according to Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link). Jessup, a 27-year-old guard who was selected in the second round in 2020, is currently playing for Bayern Munich in Germany.
Memphis has a full roster and plans to waive Georges Niang so the trade can be completed, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Twitter link). Niang, who was acquired from Utah on Tuesday, has an $8.2MM expiring contract.
Finding a taker for Gordon opens more room below the tax line (and another roster spot) for the Sixers to convert two-way forward Dominick Barlow to a standard deal. Barlow has been outstanding in his fourth NBA season, starting 33 of the 40 games he’s played and averaging career highs with 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 24 minutes per night.
Barlow still has 10 games left before he reaches his limit for the season, so it’s not necessarily an immediate concern, but the Sixers need to have him on a standard contract to make him eligible for the playoffs. The team also seems likely to promote two-way player Jabari Walker, who reached his 50-game limit this week.
Gordon, 37, has only appeared in six games this season and was functioning as a virtual assistant coach in Philadelphia. His $3.6MM expiring contract only carries a $2.3MM cap hit, and he appears to be a strong candidate to be waived in Memphis once the deal is finalized.
Sixers Sign Patrick Baldwin Jr. To 10-Day Deal
4:27 pm: The Sixers have officially signed Baldwin to a 10-day deal, per the transaction log at NBA.com.
3:23 pm: The Sixers plan to sign free agent forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. to a 10-day contract, according to Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).
The 28th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Baldwin has appeared in 95 regular season games for the Warriors, Wizards, and Clippers since making his NBA debut. He finished last season on a two-way contract with L.A. and rejoined the team for training camp before being waived at the end of the preseason.
Baldwin, who signed a 10-day deal with the Clips last month, has spent the majority of the season in the G League with the San Diego Clippers. The 23-year-old has averaged 21.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals on .530/.343/.667 shooting in 25 NBAGL games (33.6 MPG).
Philadelphia traded Jared McCain and Eric Gordon prior to Thursday’s deadline without acquiring any players in return, enabling the team to dip below the luxury tax line, add draft assets, and open two roster spots. The 76ers will soon have 14 players on their standard roster, as they’re adding Baldwin and re-signed Charles Bassey to a second 10-day deal.
Two-way forward Jabari Walker reached his 50-game limit on Tuesday and will be ineligible to play for the rest of the season unless Philadelphia converts him to a standard deal. Assuming that happens, the 76ers would have a full 15-man standard roster, which would give them the option of keeping Dominick Barlow on a two-way deal for the time being — he can still be active for 10 more games.
The Sixers would have to maintain a full 15-man roster in order to continue using Barlow on his two-way contract, since they’ve hit their “under-15” limit for two-way players — teams can only use their two-way players for a combined total of 90 games while they’re carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts. Philadelphia, which has been carrying just 14 players for most of the season, recently reached that 90-game limit.
Sixers’ Walker First Two-Way Player To Reach Active Game Limit
The Sixers played their 50th game of the season on Tuesday in Golden State and forward Jabari Walker has been active for all 50 of them, making him the first player on a two-way contract to reach his active game limit this season.
A player on a two-way deal is ineligible to be active for more than 50 regular season games (or a prorated portion of that 50-game limit, if he signs after the season has begun). That means Walker will have to be promoted to a standard contract if Philadelphia wants to continue playing him.
The 76ers may have cleared a path for Walker to get a spot on the 15-man roster when they agreed to trade Jared McCain to Oklahoma City earlier today. That move moved Philadelphia below the luxury tax line by about $3MM, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks, which gives the team more than enough flexibility to sign Walker to a standard deal without going back into the tax.
The Sixers will probably wait until after the trade deadline to officially promote Walker to ensure they don’t need that open roster spot for a separate deal, but it seems likely it will just be a matter of time before he gets his promotion. Philadelphia also seems likely to convert another two-way standout, Dominick Barlow, to a standard contract in the coming weeks, but that’s not as pressing a concern, since Barlow still has 10 games before he reaches his own limit.
Still, the 76ers would have to maintain a full 15-man roster in order to continue using Barlow, since they’ve hit their “under-15” limit for two-way players — teams can only use their two-way players for a combined total of 90 games while they’re carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts. Philadelphia, which has been carrying just 14 players for most of the season, recently reached that 90-game limit.
Even if they promote Walker, the Sixers will likely dip back below 15 players, since Charles Bassey‘s 10-day contract expires on Thursday, so it may make sense for the club to just promote both its two-way standouts sooner rather than later.
While we wait to see what the Sixers’ plan is, it’s worth noting that several other two-way players are just one game away from reaching the limit of 50 active games and will need to be converted to standard deals soon if their teams want to keep using them.
Spencer Jones of the Nuggets, Daniss Jenkins of the Pistons, Pat Spencer of the Warriors, and Chris Youngblood of the Thunder are each at 49 active games entering Wednesday’s action, tweets Marks.
Sixers Sign Charles Bassey To 10-Day Contract
JANUARY 26: Bassey’s signing is official, the Sixers announced (via Twitter).
JANUARY 24: Charles Bassey will sign a 10-day contract with the Sixers, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The move will give Philadelphia 15 players on standard contracts and will enable the team to continue using two-way players Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker. Both were on the active roster for Saturday’s game against New York, bringing the Sixers to their 90-game “under-15” limit for the season.
Although a player on a two-way contract can be active for up to 50 regular season games, teams can’t use their two-way players for more than 90 combined games if they’re carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts.
If Bassey signs on Monday, Barlow and Walker can continue playing on two-way deals through February 4, which takes them to the eve of the trade deadline. In that scenario, Bassey’s 10-day contract would cover the team’s next six games.
Sources tell Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) that the Sixers are trying to get Bassey to Charlotte so he can sign his contract before Monday night’s game. A massive storm that’s covering much of the United States is complicating travel plans.
Bassey, a 25-year-old center, is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game with Santa Cruz in the G League. Following an outstanding Summer League performance with Boston, he signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Atlanta in September. The Hawks waived Bassey prior to the start of the season, and he inked a 10-day hardship contract with Memphis in late October. He appeared in two games during that time, but was let go when the contract expired.
This will be Bassey’s second stint with the Sixers, who selected him with the 53rd pick in the 2021 draft. He was released after playing 23 games as a rookie and spent the next three seasons in San Antonio.
Sixers Notes: Embiid, Oubre, Barlow, Walker, Grimes
Joel Embiid continues to round back into form for the Sixers, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who notes that the 46 minutes the former MVP played in Thursday’s overtime win over Houston represented his highest single-game regular season total in over three years.
Embiid made the most of those 46 minutes, racking up 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, en route to a 128-22 victory. Philadelphia outscored the Rockets by 21 points when he was on the court.
“It’s certainly a pretty big step forward, I think, for sure,” head coach Nick Nurse said after the game.
Knee problems have been a recurring issue for Embiid in recent years — he didn’t look fully comfortable on the court during the 19 games he played in 2024/25 or at the start of this season. However, in his past 15 outings, the veteran center is averaging 28.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. Sixers forward Paul George, who has dealt with several injuries of his own, is happy to see his teammate looking more like his old self.
“He’s starting to feel it, he’s getting better and that competitive juice and everything is starting to flow,” George said. “You see it even with him at practice, and so you can see he was coming back, he was starting to form back into the Joel Embiid that we all have seen him dominate in this league. It’s definitely refreshing just from a personal level, dealing with injuries and how that takes a toll on you. It’s just always great to see someone start to get back to themselves.”
We have more on the 76ers:
- Sixers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is on an expiring contract, which makes him a potential trade candidate at the deadline, but he’s making a strong case with his recent play for the team to hang onto him, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required). Since rejoining the starting lineup on Monday, Oubre has averaged 21.7 PPG on .558/.611/.545 shooting in his past three games.
- Oubre was initially reinserted into the starting five in place of George, who missed a couple games due to left knee injury management. However, he remained in the lineup on Thursday with George active, as Nurse moved forward Dominick Barlow to the second unit. “I think Barlow has played outstanding and played outstanding again tonight,” Nurse said after the game. “But Kelly obviously has been a pretty big spark plug, getting to the rim and just guarding. Just guarding really good, tough matchup every night as well. So I went that way. He’s pretty experienced as well.”
- Speaking of Barlow, he and fellow two-way player Jabari Walker were active again on Thursday, increasing the Sixers’ total “under-15” two-way games to 88, two away from the 90-game limit. In order to continue using both Barlow and Walker beyond Saturday, Philadelphia will have to either promote one of them to its 15-man roster or sign someone else to fill that 15th roster spot. Although a player on a two-way contract can be active for up to 50 regular season games, teams can’t use their two-way players for more than 90 combined games if they’re carrying fewer than 15 players on standard contracts.
- After averaging 17.0 PPG and 4.4 APG on .456/.381/.854 shooting in his first 21 games this season, Quentin Grimes is down to 9.8 PPG and 3.0 APG on .396/.317/.875 shooting in his past 20. Nurse said he wants to see Grimes “attack the rim” more and stressed that the swingman has the green light to fire away from beyond the arc. The Sixers’ coach added that tweaking Grimes’ role has also been considered. “I think we really thought that he was a much better player off the bench, that he liked to see the game a little bit and come in and play,” Nurse said. “And I think we’re having some discussions lately, that maybe that’s not the case, and maybe we’ll start sticking him back into the starting lineup a little bit to see if that helps.”
Stein’s Latest: Butler, Morant, Sixers, Mavericks
The Warriors will reportedly consider all their options leading up to the February 5 trade deadline, but it’s unlikely that they’ll include Jimmy Butler in an in-season trade after he suffered a season-ending ACL tear, Marc Stein writes for The Stein Line (Substack link). General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said as much on Tuesday, and that wasn’t just posturing, according to Stein.
As Stein explains, while the Warriors went that route with De’Anthony Melton last season after he tore his ACL, Melton was on a modest expiring contract, whereas moving Butler’s deal ($54.1MM this season, $56.8MM in 2026/27) would be far more complicated. Additionally, Golden State has posted a 46-22 regular season record with Butler on the court since acquiring him last season and still believe he can return and help the team before the end of the 2026/27 season.
On top of that, there’s the human element to consider, Stein notes. Dunleavy played with Butler in Chicago before his retirement as a player and has known him for more than a decade, which could make the Warriors’ GM more reluctant to part ways with the star forward in the early stages of his recovery from a serious injury.
Here are a few more rumors and notes from Stein:
- Ja Morant‘s popularity in Memphis will be a factor the Grizzlies take into account as they weigh trade scenarios involving the two-time All-Star, says Stein. In Stein’s view, the Grizzlies would have a hard time selling their fans on a return similar to the one Atlanta got for Trae Young earlier this month (CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert) and would probably need to get back more than a couple favorable veteran contracts to make a deal worthwhile. Given the limited league-wide interest in Morant so far, extracting a stronger package that includes intriguing young talent and/or draft assets will be a challenge.
- The Sixers and Mavericks are among the teams with multiple players on two-way contracts whom they want to promote to their standard roster before the end of the season, Stein writes. A league source says Philadelphia is expected to find a way to convert both Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker, and Stein believes Dallas will seek a path to promote both Ryan Nembhard and Moussa Cisse. The 76ers currently have one open standard roster spot but are operating in tax territory, while the Mavs have a full 15-man roster and minimal flexibility below its second-apron hard cap.
- As we outlined over the weekend in a Front Office story, the Sixers are fast approaching their limit of 90 “under-15” games — a team carrying fewer than 15 players on its standard roster can only use a total of 90 active games for all of its two-way players, and Philadelphia is now at 86. That means in order to keep Barlow and Walker active beyond this Saturday, one will have to be promoted sooner rather than later, or the 76ers will have to fill their 15th roster spot with a newcomer.
Sixers Notes: Lowry, Oubre, Barlow, Embiid
Kyle Lowry didn’t see any playing time Sunday night as he made possibly the final Toronto appearance of his long NBA career, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Lowry is still a beloved figure in the city, where he spent nine years and helped the Raptors win their only NBA title. But the Sixers guard has moved into a player-coach role in his 20th NBA season, logging 43 total minutes in five appearances. Head coach Nick Nurse refers to him a “middle man” who serves as a liaison between the coaching staff and the other players.
“Sometimes, I try to talk to those guys as a coach,” Lowry said of his younger teammates, especially Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. “As a player, I wish I could say certain things or say, ‘Do this or do that.’ It’s that balance of I know I’m not on the court, so I can’t yell at them or curse at them. But I can say, ‘Hey, here are the things I see. Let’s try to do that.’”
It’s an unexpected role for Lowry, who was known for his hyper-competitive approach to the game during his prime, Koreen adds. But the wisdom he gathered during his two decades in the league and the influence of other players have prepared him to be a mentor.
“Throughout my career I had the opportunity to be around a guy like Fred VanVleet,” Lowry added. “That kind of (told me), ‘Why not try to continue to do that and help a guy like Tyrese Maxey.’ And then, you get fortunate enough and they draft a guy like VJ. You got two young guys. And Jared McCain. Sometimes, the game gives you something you have to do.”
There’s more on the Sixers:
- Kelly Oubre Jr. shot a combined 1-of-9 from the field in his first two games after returning from a long injury absence, but he rediscovered his scoring touch on Sunday, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes in a subscriber-only story. He contributed 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting while setting season highs with four steals and three blocks. “It definitely felt good,” Oubre said. “It’s just, I think I could be better. I got blocked because I’m not trusting myself and the work that I put in. So you know, just watching film, continue to just show up every day and get better. That’s all I can do. But it definitely felt good to get some run.”
- Oubre and Dominick Barlow were both in the starting lineup on Sunday because Paul George was a late scratch with left knee soreness, but Nurse will eventually face a difficult lineup decision, Pompey states in a mailbag column. Although it’s a close call, Pompey suggests the team is better with Barlow starting because that means George doesn’t have to play power forward and it’s easier for him to defend on the perimeter.
- Joel Embiid has an interesting case for an All-Star spot, Pompey adds in the same piece. Embiid has only appeared in 19 of the team’s 37 games — and was held out Sunday for left knee injury management and left groin soreness — but he’s been outstanding when he does play and his scoring average of 23.5 PPG tops all Eastern Conference centers. Embiid offered his opinion after Friday’s game, telling reporters, “Am I going to make it? I think I should. I don’t think we’re pushing it enough. I think I got pretty good stats. So, maybe you guys should put the word out that Joel Embiid is back.”
Sixers Notes: Oubre, Power Forward, Grimes, Embiid
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said earlier this week that forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who has been sidelined since November 14 due to a sprained left knee, could return to action during the team’s current road trip. That trip will wrap up on Saturday in New York, and Oubre’s chances of playing against the Knicks may hinge on whether he can take part in a five-on-five scrimmage on Friday, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Oubre participated in a three-on-three scrimmage on Monday and a four-on-four session on Wednesday, Pompey notes. If he plays five-on-five and his body responds well, his return should be imminent, though the 30-year-old declined to speculate on that subject, indicating he’s leaving the decision up to the experts.
“I’m just going off what the trainers and the docs say,” Oubre said. “So for me, I don’t feel any pain, any shortness after workouts, and things like that, which is a good sign. So I take that as a positive and just continue to build from there and get stronger. But I’m leaving it to the docs and the trainers.”
While the 76ers have been hit hard by injuries over the past year-and-a-half, they’re close to getting fully healthy, with both Oubre and Trendon Watford (adductor) in the final stage of their respective recovery processes.
Here’s more on the Sixers:
- Even when Oubre returns, Nurse says he envisions Paul George “mostly” as a three, according to Pompey. So who will handle the primary power forward duties? Nurse suggested he may take a committee approach to the position. “I think it’s Paul. I think it’s (Dominick) Barlow. Could be a little Oubre. Could be a little (Adem) Bona,” the Sixers’ coach said. “But I think it just depends on who we’re playing. Hopefully, we can be versatile enough to figure out what we are doing in all those different lineups. That’s what’s going to take some time.”
- Quentin Grimes averaged 11.8 shot attempts per game in his first 24 outings of the season, but that numbers has dipped to 7.5 per game in his past six contests. As long as Joel Embiid, George, and Tyrese Maxey are healthy and available, that trend may continue, but Grimes can continue to provide value with his defensive effort and by making the most of the opportunities he does get on offense, Pompey writes for The Inquirer. “He’s kind of a good wild card for us,” Maxey said of Grimes. “He can get hot. He can make threes. He can drive the ball. He can play defensively, too. That’s what’s really good for us. He can play with a lot of lineups too.”
- While Embiid’s offensive production has increased as of late – he has averaged 29.2 points per game in his past six starts – the former MVP says he believes his improving health is more evident on the other end of the court, per Pompey. “Physically, where I felt most (like myself) is defensively,” Embiid explained. “I’m getting back to that level of (protecting the rim), blocking shots and being that defensive presence.”