Lonnie Walker IV may have played his way back into the NBA

There's nothing worse than seeing a promising player get phased out of the league, leaving fans curious about why they couldn't stick around. Unfortunately, that was the case for the former Spur Lonnie Walker IV. But a return to the NBA could be right around the corner for him, and front offices should be interested in what he can still provide offensively.

The last time we saw Lonnie Walker IV was in the 2024-2025 season, averaging 12.4 points per game in 23 minutes for the Philadelphia 76ers. After Philly declined his team option the following summer, he signed a three-year deal with Euroleague powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv.

While he's not the perfect player, he can still bring a lot to an organization with his ability to create his own shots and score off the ball. Will he be a starter again? Maybe not, but there are a handful of teams across the NBA who would love to have an additional offensive option like him on their roster.

Lonnie Walker IV was a part of a transition period in San Antonio

The summer of 2018 was one that Spurs fans will never forget. They started by selecting Lonnie Walker IV from the University of Miami with the 18th overall pick, and about a month later, they traded Kawhi Leonard in exchange for DeMar DeRozan. It created a new era for an organization that was trying to regain its footing as a Western Conference powerhouse.

Walker held great importance during this transitional period for the Spurs. He was one of the first rookies in the post-Kawhi Leonard era, and while he didn't get off to an amazing start in his first few seasons, he found his stride a bit as time went on. By his third year, he was a double-digit scorer, averaging 11.2 points per game while draining 35% of his threes.

He followed that up with another double-digit scoring year in the 2021-22 season. But the following summer, San Antonio rescinded his qualifying offer, releasing him into unrestricted free agency. He signed a one-year, $6.5M mid-level exception contract with the Lakers, officially ending his chapter with the Spurs.

Can Lonnie Walker IV still be an asset?

The great thing about Walker is that he is still relatively young. At 27 years old, he has a long basketball career ahead of him; this isn't some veteran in his late 30s trying to mount one final comeback to the NBA. He's still in his athletic prime, which should get some front offices interested.

In the Euroleague last season, he averaged 15.2 points per game on 45.6% shooting and 35% from distance. Obviously, he won't play the same role for an NBA team as he did for Maccabi Tel Aviv, but he can still provide some value as a potential scoring punch off the bench. The most important thing for him is being able to make threes at an efficient rate, which he's already shown he can do.

Will Walker ever turn into the player many expected him to be out of the draft? Probably not. But he still has a lot left to give to an NBA team, and front offices shouldn't look past giving him a shot this offseason.

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