Jabari Walker’s conversion, Tyrese Martin’s addition part of Sixers’ post-trade deadline roster tinkering

Tyrese Martin was in the crowd of Allentown’s new PPL Center in October of 2014, when the 76ers played a preseason game in the city for the first time in 40 years. The teenage Martin even got a photo with K.J. McDaniels, then a Sixers rookie.

Fast forward more than a decade, and Martin on Thursday morning stood in a back hallway of Xfinity Mobile Arena, following his first shootaround as a Sixer.

Martin, a 26-year-old combo guard, joining the NBA team closest to his hometown on a two-way contract potentially completes the Sixers’ post-trade roster. They also signed veteran point guard Cameron Payne, the former Sixer who had been playing in Serbia, to a rest-of-season deal, and forward Dalen Terry to a two-way contract. Those moves fill the roster spots vacated when the Sixers traded Jared McCain and Eric Gordon at the deadline earlier this month, and converted forwards Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker from two-way contracts to standard deals.

» READ MORE: Cameron Payne is happy to return to Sixers: ‘When your focus is in the right place, things like this happen’

Martin was inactive for Thursday’s 117-107 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, with coach Nick Nurse noting that the coaching staff “obviously [has not] seen hardly any of him yet.” Terry, who signed his deal just before the All-Star break, also did not play.

Payne, however, immediately got back on the floor. Though he missed all three shot attempts, the 31-year-old totaled five of the Sixers’ 17 total assists in less than 10 minutes.

“I’m figuring them out,” Payne said of his new teammates. “ … I feel like we played fast when I was here [for the end of the 2023-24 season], but they play a lot faster now.”

Nurse said prior to Thursday’s loss that he also views Martin primarily as a point guard. He averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 37 games with the Brooklyn Nets, then was released to free up roster spots at the trade deadline.

Before a November game against the Sixers, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez described Martin as a “grown up” and “rock star” inside Brooklyn’s deep rebuild, and was a player whom coaches could direct young teammates to and say, “Look how he does it.” Nurse on Thursday also commended Martin’s basketball IQ, along with his 6-foot-6, 215-pound frame.

Yet on a Sixers team vying for playoff positioning — their 30-25 record sits sixth in the Eastern Conference entering Friday — Martin most believes he can make an immediate impact as a defender who can pressure the ball and pick up 94 feet.

“Just play tough,” Martin said. “I think that’s where I can find myself fitting in real fast on this team.”

Martin’s opportunity became possible once the Sixers signed Walker to a standard contract on Thursday. After Walker could not play in the Sixers’ previous four matchups because he had exhausted his 50 active NBA games allowed on a two-way deal, he acknowledged “worrying a little bit” about his future while spending time with loved ones during the All-Star break.

But while Walker was sidelined, Nurse recognized the Sixers “really need” the 6-foot-8, 235-pounder’s physicality as a rebounder and interior defender. Walker totaled four points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal — including a second-half highlight sequence when he hit a three-pointer, then corralled a steal and lofted an alley-oop pass to Adem Bona — in 10 minutes of his return game against Atlanta.

Barlow, meanwhile, remained in the starting lineup with Paul George still suspended for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. Nurse was pleased both players had their contracts converted this month, because “they just earned it, and they deserved it.”

“Young, hungry, playing-hard guys that I think we can have in our organization,” Nurse said. “We want [players like that]. I’m glad those guys got rewarded — both of them.”

Those contract conversions — plus other recent examples, such as Justin Edwards last season and Ricky Council IV in 2024 — demonstrate the Sixers will use their two-way players who provide value. Martin appreciates such evidence of opportunity. He took the floor for an early pregame on-court session Thursday, and said he is working to quickly learn staffers’ names.

Nurse is unsure when Martin could see game action, with the Sixers next entering a stretch of three road matchups in four nights. Yet Martin’s addition could complete the Sixers’ post-trade deadline roster, and allowed him to join the NBA team closest to his hometown.

“We’ll get into what my path and my thing is for the rest of the season going forward,” Martin said. “But right now, I’ll just do what I’ve done when I was in this situation before, and bet on myself.”