Despite it being a down time in the NBA news cycle, the Philadelphia 76ers were able to warrant a Shams bomb by signing Lonnie Walker IV to a two-year, three million dollar deal.
Lonnie Walker IV has agreed to a two-year, $3 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, his agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group told ESPN. Walker has played for Zalgiris Kaunas in the Euroleague and had an NBA-out in his deal. He now enters his 7th NBA season. pic.twitter.com/NQW8xQa1mS
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 18, 2025
Walker spent the entirety of last season with the Brooklyn Nets. Before that, he was with the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. Walker started out the season with the Boston Celtics, but unfortunately, he did not make the roster. So, Walker took his talents overseas – playing for Zalgiris Kaunas in the Euroleague.
The Sacramento Kings could have signed Lonnie Walker IV
For the Sacramento Kings, this signing is significant because it means that Walker was available to be signed by an NBA team before this point.
The Kings, after making a myriad of trades earlier this month, were looking for players to sign because they sent more players out than they took in. To remedy this, they added former number one overall pick Markelle Fultz.
After failing to reach his full potential, Fultz has still been able to carve out a solid career for himself by becoming one of the better guard defenders in the association. As a team that desperately needs more defensive personnel, the Kings could really use a player like that in their ranks.
The problem is that Fultz comes with a drawback. The main reason he was never able to come close to the star status many anticipated for him prior to his arrival in the league is that his once-promising jumper mysteriously left him when he moved on to the next level. After shooting 41.3% in college, Fultz has shot just 27.4 from beyond the arc in the NBA.
As a team that is 20th in 3-point attempts and 25th in 3-point percentage, the Kings can ill-afford adding another player like that, even a more defensively-inclined player like Fultz.
Meanwhile, Walker hit a respectable 38.4% of his 4.7 3-point attempts per game last season, making him a much more capable spacer. He also placed in the 68th percentile in Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (DEF EPM), which is higher than Fultz graded out in that metric in 2023-24.
Fultz is not a bad player by any means, and it is awesome that he is getting a chance to play again after being on the shelf all season. But, on this specific team, it would have been better to get a two-way player like Walker. Too bad he's on the 76ers now.