The 2025-26 season hasn't even started yet, but Jabari Walker is already making the Portland Trail Blazers regret giving up on him. Portland didn't extend a qualifying offer to Walker this summer, letting him leave in unrestricted free agency. The Philadelphia 76ers then somehow managed to sign him to a two-way contract.
Walker was solid for Philadelphia this preseason, averaging 8.5 points and four rebounds in 21 minutes a game. Those are good, but not great numbers. However, Waker has always been the type of player whose impact on winning goes beyond the box score. He's the ideal role player to have at the end of the bench as his intangibles allow him to make an impact without requiring the ball.
Jabari Walker would've helped Portland's lack of depth
That's a significant loss for the Blazers, especially considering their lack of depth, which is a problem that was exposed throughout the preseason.
Portland's depth was previously a roster strength, but unfortunately, they have already been hit by the injury bug. Toumani Camara missed Portland's final two games due to knee soreness. Deni Avdija was sidelined in their most recent loss to Utah with upper back stiffness. Scoot Henderson will miss a significant portion of the start of the season after suffering a left hamstring tear. Both Robert Williams III and Matisse Thybulle have yet to be cleared to play and seem to be repeating the same cycle as last year with their inavailability. Oh, and Damian Lillard has already stated he doesn't plan to play at all in 2025-26 as he takes a patient rehab approach from a torn Achilles (do we really need to keep including him in the injury report each game for an entire season?).
Simply put, the Blazers need more reliable players on their bench.
But whose spot would Jabari Walker have taken?
The issue is that it's difficult to say whose roster spot Walker should've taken. Blake Wesley was Portland's final addition to their 15-man roster and is already justifying that signing with his two-way impact, especially given how shallow their backcourt is after Scoot's injury.
One player we would've preferred to waive over Walker is center Duop Reath. In August, the Blazers fully guaranteed Reath's $2.2 million contract for the 2025-26 season. He's an incredible success story and had an exciting rookie campaign, showing promise as a valuable floor spacer. But unfortunately, Reath declined statistically last season. Chauncey Billups even decided to play small for stretches throughout last season, playing Walker or Deni Avdija at the five over Reath. With Yang Hansen also proving capable of taking on an immediate role spelling Donovan Clingan, Reath's minutes could diminish even further in year three.
Regardless of who Portland specifically would've moved to clear roster space for Walker, it's becoming increasingly apparent that they should've done something. Walker is just 23 years old and still showing signs of improvement in key areas, particularly as a shooter. He was worth continuing to invest in, considering the low risk associated with that decision.
But good for Walker to make Portland regret letting him walk too soon.