After the 2025-26 Sixers held their first official practice, head coach Nick Nurse was asked which players had stood out to him the most. The player he singled out above the rest was not even on the Sixers' standard roster: Dominick Barlow, the 22-year-old power forward entering his fourth NBA season while signed to a two-way contract. Nurse described Barlow as a terrific, instinctual offensive rebounder who made smart plays all over the floor.
Months later, Nurse's scouting report has proven to be accurate. Barlow has been the Sixers' starting power forward for most of the year, helping solidify what was believed to be the team's biggest weakness entering the year.
Barlow's efforts have officially been rewarded: he signed a standard contract ahead of Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, a source told PhillyVoice. The deal gives Barlow a place on the standard roster for the remainder of the season and comes with a team option for the 2026-27 season that the Sixers can either pick up to keep him under control or decline in an effort to come to an agreement on a longer-term contract.
Uncertain if the sides would come to terms on a deal ahead of Thursday's game, the Sixers signed Charles Bassey and Patrick Baldwin Jr. to 10-day contracts in an effort to inch closer to filling their standard roster. The Sixers signing one more 10-day contract and getting back up to 15 players would have enabled them to kick the can down the road a bit longer on giving Barlow his new deal without him missing games. Ultimately, though, the sides were able to come to terms on a deal that could lead to him becoming a long-term piece of this roster.
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