76ers Make Bold Moves: Cameron Payne Joins and Jabari Parker’s Contract Upgrade Could Change Playoff Fortunes

Philadelphia’s gearing up for the stretch run with some savvy roster tweaks that caught my eye right away. On Monday, they made a couple of moves that signal they’re serious about locking in a playoff spot—and depth is definitely the name of the game. Veteran point guard Cameron Payne is back stateside after a stint overseas, ready to bolster a guard rotation that lost Jared McCain in the deadline shuffle. Coach Nick Nurse’s got a familiar face to rely on now, which should ease some pressure on All-Star Tyrese Maxey. Then there’s Jabari Walker, whose two-way deal got flipped into a standard contract after solid minutes showcasing his worth—a smart move before hitting that 50-game limit. Philadelphia’s quietly shoring up its roster, and trust me, this might be just the little nudge they need to make noise when it really counts. LEARN MORE

Philadelphia made a couple of moves on Monday to help solidify and add depth to its roster for the final 30-game push into the playoffs.

The first is signing veteran point guard Cameron Payne for the remainder of the season, something first reported by Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Payne played for 10 seasons in the NBA — he was in 72 games for the Knicks last season, averaging 15 minutes and 6.9 points a night — but couldn’t land a contract this season, so he signed to play with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia, where he averaged 12.4 points and 3.9 assists but in just 10 games. The team has agreed to release him.

Partizan Belgrade will receive $1.75 million in the buyout, according to Stein, but under the terms of the CBA, the 76ers can contribute only $875,000 of that.

Philadelphia has All-Star Tyrese Maxey at the point, but is a little thin at the guard spot after trading Jared McCain to Oklahoma City at the deadline. Payne provides depth that coach Nick Nurse can trust.

The other piece of business was much more straightforward: Converting Jabari Walker from a two-way to a standard, two-year contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.

Walker has played in 45 games for the 76ers this season, starting six, and giving the team solid rotation minutes at the four. He was bumping up against the two-way contract limit of 50 games and the Sixers did well to just lock him up. It is very likely that the second year of this contract is not (or is minimally) guaranteed.