Trade Grades
Click here for link to the Houston Rockets Trade Grades
76ers get: C Joel Anthony, 2017 second-rounder
Rockets get: Rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum
Translation: Rockets dump Joel Anthony's $2.5 million contract on 76ers, and give them a second-rounder in exchange for taking on the money. Classic GM Sam Hinkie move. I'm not going to get into the debate about whether or not the 76ers are heading in the right direction or not, but for the direction they are heading in (which is south, for sure), this was an excellent move. As Philly had no use for the cap space eaten up by Anthony anyways, they essentially got a free second-rounder here. Can't penalize 'em for that.
Grade: A
Trade Grades
(Click here for a link to the New Orleans Pelicans' Trade Grades)
76ers get: PG Ish Smith
Pelicans get: 2016 second-rounder via Denver, 2017 second-rounder
Philadelphia also released PG Tony Wroten in the wake of acquiring Smith. The trio of rookie PG T.J. McConnell, journeyman PG Kendall Marshall, and Wroten was simply not getting the job done: Philly ranks 28th in point guard scoring this season. Smith offers an intriguing upgrade, an excellent facilitator averaging just short of 9 points and 6 assists in just 23 minutes per game as the backup on New Orleans to... Jrue Holiday (how ironic is that?)! While obviously not able to single-handedly pull the 76ers out of the gutter, Smith is on an expiring contract worth about $1 million and cannot hurt. The second-rounders could have some value as they could be early in round number two, but with the plethora of picks and prospects that Philadelphia already has, flipping a couple of them for some much-needed stability at point guard was the right call.
Grade: B+
Trade Grades
76ers get: Los Angeles Lakers’ 2015 first-rounder via Phoenix (top 5 protected, turns into top 3 protected pick in 2016 if not conveyed)
Bucks get: PG/SG Michael Carter-Williams, PG Tyler Ennis, C/PF Miles Plumlee
Suns get: PG/SG Brandon Knight, PG Kendall Marshall
And Philadelphia continues to trade away their players for draft picks. This one has to cross some sort of line with the fan base though. Carter-Williams, though slightly regressing and still dealing with turning the ball over and inefficient shooting, remains the reigning Rookie of the Year. He’s playing like it too, putting up numbers across the board: 15 points, 7.5 assists, 6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1 three per game. He is certainly worth more than a first-rounder, much less a protected one, as he represents one of the few cornerstones this rebuilding team has moving forward. The lack of value Philadelphia was able to get for Carter-Williams is absolutely shocking. Thank goodness the Sixers made up for this (sort of) by ripping Denver off in the Javale McGee trade.
Grade: D+
Trade Grades
76ers get: PG Isaiah Canaan and second-rounder
Rockets get: SG/SF K.J McDaniels
You’d think that Philadelphia can just hang onto some of its players without flipping them all for draft picks. Alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Getting a second-rounder for perhaps the best second-round selection in recent memory just doesn’t make sense. That second-round selection is K.J McDaniels. The Clemson product does a bit of everything, averaging 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1 steal, and 1 three per game. McDaniels is going to be a restricted free agent at season's end, as he refused to sign the rookie contract, which is probably the main motive the Sixers had for this trade. Still, with the plethora of cap space they have, you'd think they would be willing to pay a young kid with talent what he's worth. Canaan doesn’t do much to replace McDaniels, with averages of a mere 6 points and 1.5 threes a game, and only adding 1 assist in 15 minutes a game. All in all, a fairly dubious move by a franchise that’s just overloading on draft picks at this point.
Grade: C+
Trade Grades
76ers get: C Javale McGee, PF Chukwudiebere Maduabum, Oklahoma City’s 2015 first-rounder (top 18 protected this year, top 15 protected in 2016 and 2017, turns into 2018 and 2019 second-rounders if not conveyed)
Nuggets get: SF/SG Cenk Akyol
This trade can be a little bit confusing, as you likely haven’t heard of either of those two foreign guys. And you don’t have to. Neither has any value and it’s unlikely that either will even play in the pros. This deal is simply a salary dump, with Denver sending the overpaid McGee to Philadelphia, as well as the first-rounder, of course, to make the deal fair. As much of a star Mcgee is on "Shaqtin' A Fool", the only thing the Sixers have their eyes set on in this deal is the draft pick. McGee is due for $23.25 million combined over the next two years, which isn’t so bad when you consider that Philadelphia is getting a first-rounder out of this trade. It remains to be seen whether or not the Thunder can climb up from the 15th best record in the league to the 11th this season. This is important because since there are 30 teams, the 11th best record translates to a top 19 pick, which would mean Philadelphia gets Oklahoma City’s draft choice. If not, however, the pick will surely be conveyed next year, as the Thunder are a title contender, not a lottery team that will have a top 14 pick. Either way, the Sixers, as a young rebuilding team with plenty of cap space looking to stockpile draft picks, did exactly what they needed to do at the deadline: take on a bad contract and get another draft pick out of it.
Grade: A+
Click here for link to the Houston Rockets Trade Grades
76ers get: C Joel Anthony, 2017 second-rounder
Rockets get: Rights to Chukwudiebere Maduabum
Translation: Rockets dump Joel Anthony's $2.5 million contract on 76ers, and give them a second-rounder in exchange for taking on the money. Classic GM Sam Hinkie move. I'm not going to get into the debate about whether or not the 76ers are heading in the right direction or not, but for the direction they are heading in (which is south, for sure), this was an excellent move. As Philly had no use for the cap space eaten up by Anthony anyways, they essentially got a free second-rounder here. Can't penalize 'em for that.
Grade: A
Trade Grades
(Click here for a link to the New Orleans Pelicans' Trade Grades)
76ers get: PG Ish Smith
Pelicans get: 2016 second-rounder via Denver, 2017 second-rounder
Philadelphia also released PG Tony Wroten in the wake of acquiring Smith. The trio of rookie PG T.J. McConnell, journeyman PG Kendall Marshall, and Wroten was simply not getting the job done: Philly ranks 28th in point guard scoring this season. Smith offers an intriguing upgrade, an excellent facilitator averaging just short of 9 points and 6 assists in just 23 minutes per game as the backup on New Orleans to... Jrue Holiday (how ironic is that?)! While obviously not able to single-handedly pull the 76ers out of the gutter, Smith is on an expiring contract worth about $1 million and cannot hurt. The second-rounders could have some value as they could be early in round number two, but with the plethora of picks and prospects that Philadelphia already has, flipping a couple of them for some much-needed stability at point guard was the right call.
Grade: B+
Trade Grades
76ers get: Los Angeles Lakers’ 2015 first-rounder via Phoenix (top 5 protected, turns into top 3 protected pick in 2016 if not conveyed)
Bucks get: PG/SG Michael Carter-Williams, PG Tyler Ennis, C/PF Miles Plumlee
Suns get: PG/SG Brandon Knight, PG Kendall Marshall
And Philadelphia continues to trade away their players for draft picks. This one has to cross some sort of line with the fan base though. Carter-Williams, though slightly regressing and still dealing with turning the ball over and inefficient shooting, remains the reigning Rookie of the Year. He’s playing like it too, putting up numbers across the board: 15 points, 7.5 assists, 6 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1 three per game. He is certainly worth more than a first-rounder, much less a protected one, as he represents one of the few cornerstones this rebuilding team has moving forward. The lack of value Philadelphia was able to get for Carter-Williams is absolutely shocking. Thank goodness the Sixers made up for this (sort of) by ripping Denver off in the Javale McGee trade.
Grade: D+
Trade Grades
76ers get: PG Isaiah Canaan and second-rounder
Rockets get: SG/SF K.J McDaniels
You’d think that Philadelphia can just hang onto some of its players without flipping them all for draft picks. Alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Getting a second-rounder for perhaps the best second-round selection in recent memory just doesn’t make sense. That second-round selection is K.J McDaniels. The Clemson product does a bit of everything, averaging 9 points, 4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 1 steal, and 1 three per game. McDaniels is going to be a restricted free agent at season's end, as he refused to sign the rookie contract, which is probably the main motive the Sixers had for this trade. Still, with the plethora of cap space they have, you'd think they would be willing to pay a young kid with talent what he's worth. Canaan doesn’t do much to replace McDaniels, with averages of a mere 6 points and 1.5 threes a game, and only adding 1 assist in 15 minutes a game. All in all, a fairly dubious move by a franchise that’s just overloading on draft picks at this point.
Grade: C+
Trade Grades
76ers get: C Javale McGee, PF Chukwudiebere Maduabum, Oklahoma City’s 2015 first-rounder (top 18 protected this year, top 15 protected in 2016 and 2017, turns into 2018 and 2019 second-rounders if not conveyed)
Nuggets get: SF/SG Cenk Akyol
This trade can be a little bit confusing, as you likely haven’t heard of either of those two foreign guys. And you don’t have to. Neither has any value and it’s unlikely that either will even play in the pros. This deal is simply a salary dump, with Denver sending the overpaid McGee to Philadelphia, as well as the first-rounder, of course, to make the deal fair. As much of a star Mcgee is on "Shaqtin' A Fool", the only thing the Sixers have their eyes set on in this deal is the draft pick. McGee is due for $23.25 million combined over the next two years, which isn’t so bad when you consider that Philadelphia is getting a first-rounder out of this trade. It remains to be seen whether or not the Thunder can climb up from the 15th best record in the league to the 11th this season. This is important because since there are 30 teams, the 11th best record translates to a top 19 pick, which would mean Philadelphia gets Oklahoma City’s draft choice. If not, however, the pick will surely be conveyed next year, as the Thunder are a title contender, not a lottery team that will have a top 14 pick. Either way, the Sixers, as a young rebuilding team with plenty of cap space looking to stockpile draft picks, did exactly what they needed to do at the deadline: take on a bad contract and get another draft pick out of it.
Grade: A+