The Sixers have been making calls about the possibility of moving into the top five of this week’s draft, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). Sources tell Fischer that Philadelphia has offered packages of picks, but hasn’t been willing to include Robert Covington or Dario Saric in its offers.
Fischer’s report comes on the heels from a similar note from his fellow SI.com scribe Jeremy Woo, whose latest mock draft mentions talk of the Sixers considering a trade into the top five. As Woo observes, it would be a surprise to see the 76ers make such a drastic move without a permanent head of basketball operations in place. Head coach Brett Brown has been running the department on an interim basis since Bryan Colangelo‘s departure earlier this month.
It’s also not clear which player the Sixers might be targeting at the top of the draft. Many of this year’s top prospects are big men whose fit alongside Joel Embiid would be questionable, and Luka Doncic probably doesn’t make sense for a team that has used the last two No. 1 overall picks on point guards. Trae Young, Michael Porter Jr., and Mikal Bridges are possibilities, though Philadelphia likely wouldn’t have to move up that high for Bridges.
If the Sixers are only willing to offer draft picks in a package for a top-five selection, their odds of making a deal probably aren’t high, but they could put together an interesting offer. Between 2018 and 2021, the Sixers hold seven extra second-round picks. The team also has the 10th and 26th overall selections this year, along with all its own future first-rounders.
As we relayed this morning, the Kings (No. 2), Hawks (No. 3), and Grizzlies (No. 4) have all continued to explore the possibility of moving down in the draft.
I’m surprised that Markelle Fultz name isn’t mentioned in the post. Teams in the top 5 are inherently bad teams at various stages of a rebuild. Guys like Covington and Saric are not the kind of players that would move the needle for bad teams. They are complimentary pieces.
Fultz is as young as a few of these top picks. I would only entertain giving up a top 5 pick for Fultz, the #10 and ask for either the #29th or two 2nd rnd picks.
It’s really hard to know the value of Fultz. Did he just have a bad year playing behind other better and more experienced players or is he the next first round (first pick actually) bust. If the latter then he is way over paid even on his rookie contract!
#4 and Parsons to the Sixers…
Now they have to take back Bayless. And I don’t know that I would include #10. I would do… #26 + Bayless + 2 2nd round picks maybe add in TLC or Justin Anderson if they want them. Who else is willing and able to take on that contract? Parson’s contract is so bad – he’s missed 94 games in 2 seasons.
So if you’re making this trade you better be getting Michael Porter Jr. and he better pan out. Bc the only thing you could do is stretch Parsons at 9.84M for 5 years or extend him 3 years of non-guaranteed money and stretch him for 11 years at 4.47M. There’s an article about this idea with Deng. link to bleacherreport.com.
So this puts me at 66.48M not including #10 (~3.5M) so 69.97M or 31M under the cap. LBJ max = 35.7M year 1. PG13 = 30.6M year 1.
Now you make this deal for #4 and Parsons then you could trade #10, Fultz & RoCo for Kawhi and open up another 2M.
“Going for it”
Simmons – Kawhi – LBJ/PG13 – Saric/Porter Jr – Embiid.
“Organic”
Simmons – Fultz – Mikal Bridges – Saric/Porter Jr – Embiid
I like your thought process, but if the Sixers land Kawhi, they prob aren’t getting Porter Jr., LeBron or PG. Now your “Organic” lineup seems like a better fit, provided they can get up high enough to get Porter.
I didn’t include #4 overall in the trade for Kawhi. I’m either keeping #4 or keeping #10 even after all of that.
SAS has limited their trades to the East, and unless Boston comes out with Brown/Tatum + Morris + whatever for matching + Kings pick I don’t see them landing Kawhi. I don’t see the Cavs getting him either.
I wouldn’t count on SA limiting trades to the East. They’ll take whatever package is best for them, which to my mind is the Lakers.
I love how you act San Antonio is so limited. Paul George for a rental got two really nice young players. Well kawhi is younger and better so I just don’t see how you would think pop of all people would is just screwed. They will get a good trade for him.
They are limiting themselves… cutting out 1/2 the league.
#26, Bayless and 2 2nds is trash. So this whole scenario is dependent on Memphis essentially giving away the #4 pick for cap space over a period when they will not be competing anyway. Why would they do that?
See below for who will offer what.
Sac would be absolute fools to trade the #4 and take Parson’s contract and NOT get both Futlz and the #10. Who’s doing who a favor here? Sac can just take the best player and build around him if they aren’t moving back and collecting assets.
This is Memphis not Sacramento, just to keep you in the loop. The report is they want to dump Parsons bad. I mean I offered a way out. No one wants that contract. No one is offering anything substantial. Look at who has cap space and who would take him and what they can trade.
LA – 62M (Want LBJ and PG13)
Bulls – 40M (#7 pick move up 3 spots and absorb Parsons?)
Mavs – 31.4M (Let him walk to begin with, want to offer max to an RFA)
Hawks – 30.6 (Schroder for #4 and Parsons? except Memphis has Conley)
Sixers – 30.5
Suns – 22.5 < and here is where we get into salary matching (They already have 3 guys doing nothing in Dudley, Tyson Chandler & Brandon Knight)
Rockets – 19.6M (need that space for Capela/CP3/LBJ)
Nets – 16.7M (#29)
Magic – 16.7M (#6, so move up 2 spots and absorb Parsons?)
You might be able to work something out with Houston if they took back Ryan Anderson plus someone making more than the difference between RA and Parsons.
Trash for lesser Trash? But Houston doesn’t have a pick. And adding Parsons doesn’t help them with their LBJ, Capela, CP3, Ariza offseason plans. They wanted to purely dump Anderson themselves.
For reference:
Parsons 2/49.2M
Anderson 2/41.78M
Here I’ll give you a Suns trade that makes sense for them… 2 expiring contracts – Chandler (13.5) & Dudley (9.5).
Chandler and/or Dudley + 16 for #4 and Parsons.
Dumping Parsons is all about making a run in 2019 FA and having 40M in cap space instead of 15M. Gasol and Conley both (potentially) on the last year of their deal – both in their 30s, need a 3rd “star” to even compete in the league. Gasol has an option.
Butler, Kawhi, Klay, Middleton, Kyrie to name a few.
link to hoopsrumors.com
Memphis would be ill advised to do any of this. The only way Parsons gets moved is if a team thinks he’s got some run left in him. So let him play, optimize his time on the court, and try to re-establish value. Organizations do not survive trading top-4 picks for cash.
Let him play? He’s missed 94 games of 164. They signed him to let him play, he just doesn’t b/c the wind hits him wrong and he’s done for the year.
I think you are putting a little too much value on that #4 pick. It is still just an unproven rookie, not a guaranteed franchise savior. If Memphis sells the pick, they are not going to fold.
If I’m the Cavs I would entertain a deal like Smith and Clarkson for the #4, Parsons and one of Green/McLemore. Griz get a young asset in Clarkson and save about tens of millions by getting from under Parson’s deal.
I actually meant to say Memphis not Sac. I was following you. I know Parson’s plays for Memphis. But still, if i were Memphis I would need Fultz and the #10 and either the #26 or a 2nd rnd pick. Passing on an impact player at #4 just for salary relief should get the GM fired imo.
Pardon the confusion. I had 3 different trade scenarios in my head that confused me.
I think Chris Wallace (Memphis GM) is already on the hot seat anyway.
Are they trying to get a top 5 pick so they can make an offer for Kawhi?
Also, Luke… Trae Young is a point guard. Doncic’s handle is not NBA PG level.
Young is a PG, true, but his outside shooting would make him a better fit than Doncic alongside Simmons or Fultz, in my opinion.
Yea that’s the one thing I think people don’t realize… Doncic he can’t shoot. Some of his shots make Phillip Seymour Hoffman look like Steph Curry. He chucks up a lot of Bellineli circus shots but few go in.
Young on the other hand… I’m not 100% confident he’ll be a knockdown shooter in the NBA. He had a lot of bad shooting nights… 1-6, 2-11, 1-6, 3-12, 2-10, 2-14, 1-8, 0-9, 1-5, 2-11, 1-9. That’s 11 games of 32 where he shot terribly. If he’s only averaging out at 35-36% overall, do I really want that guy shooting 10 3’s a game?
Malik Monk also a small guard, was a knock down shooter in college, only shot 34% in the pros. Just doesn’t always translate.
However, I know there are reports that from inside the Sixers camp that they are high on Young. They keep talking about it on the radio.
Why are you selectively looking at games where he did poorly?
Hand to Face…. b/c there is this narrative that he’s this Steph Curry type shooter – a 43.6% career 3-pt shooter. Young shot 36% last year. I’m not cherry picking like 1 or 2 games… 11 of 32 games – 34% of the season he shot 15% from 3. 16 for 101.
We already hate RoCo b/c he’s such a streaky 3-pt shooter… imagine having 2 of them, but this one is only 6’1 and can’t guard anyone.
RoCo had 28 games where he shot 25% or less. Extrapolating on Young’s college stats that’d be 27 games where he would shoot an average of 15%.
It’s a “make or miss league” and having those 2 shooting on the same team = a lot of misses.
Nobody’s giving up a top 5 pick in this draft for #10 and #26, so if they’re seriously talking about a trade (with another team not themselves), then something else is being put in play. Nor is anyone giving up a top 5 pick solely to get rid of a bad contract. If the price of one of these top 5 picks were so low, then it would have already been traded to one of many bidders.
I think the idea is that they would attached Parson’s to any deal along with the #4 pick. I don’t agree with it but I’ve seen money hungry owners do worse to save tons of money sunken into a poor performing player.
OK. Take Parsons and move from #10 (or so) to #4 ? That could make sense if they take back very little to nothing in salary. Parsons’ contract (right now) isn’t generating luxury tax, and getting rid of it won’t generate any significant cap space. But getting #10 and a giant TPE might be better than #4 for a team looking to retool for a few years. I don’t think so, but it’s a view. The new Memphis owner isn’t an idiot or a cheapskate. But I do think he wants to jump start the team for a run, if it can be done rationally.
I agree with this. These hypothetical offers are fairly silly and solely based on these teams trading top 5 picks just to dump salary, it’s not happening. If you want a top 5 pick it’s going to take a kings ransom while also forcing teams to take bad contracts. Late first round picks and second round picks are often traded to take on bad contracts. Not top 5 picks.
Nets got the #2 overall pick – Russell to dump Mozgov 3/48M. Parsons is 2/49.21.
Granted Lopez was involved and a late 1st (Kuzma).
No, they got a former #2 overall pick – two years removed. So, in your mind: the Nets also got #3 pick in that same draft (Okafor), plus another top 10 pick in the next draft, all for T.Booker. Minn picked up a #1 overall pick (Rose) for the waiver price.
Agreed. Took the words right out of my mouth. I was literally typing something similar.
Jah was coming off a torn ACL, barely played. Russell was a starting PG. How do they compare?
The point is that Russell’s value as an asset isn’t and never will be as high as it was just before he was drafted. Top picks in every draft are very valuable. It’ll cost a whole hell of a lot more that a bad contract to secure that kind of an asset. Russell’s value was not very high even when he was dealt for bad contracts. I liken Russell to a mid to late first at that point. Which isn’t surprising to attain in order to take on a bad contract. It wouldn’t have happened at the time he was drafted because his value was extremely high. At that time they would’ve received a lot more for him.
SORRY THEY GOT A 20 YEAR OLD STARTING POINT GUARD YOUNGER THAN MOST OF THE KIDS BEING DRAFTED IN LAST YEARS DRAFT EVEN THO HE WAS 2 YEARS REMOVED FROM BEING #2 OVERALL. IM JUST GOING TO KEEP TYPE IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE YOU THINK DEANGELO RUSSELL COMPARES TO AN INJURED NON-STARTING NON-PLAYING JAHLIL OKAFOR AND NICK STAUSKAS AND DERRICK ROSE IN A WHEELCHAIR.
As I said before what is the point in tanking, stinking the place out & disheartening your fans to get a real chance to a franchise player just to get rid of a “bad” contract, cannot understand that. Anyway they gave this contract they should be happy to live with it, why they want someone else to bale them out of their own mistakes… But if you pass on a MPJ/Doncic/Bamba/Young/WCJ or to a lesser extent JJJ to just dump salary, this fracas will be remembered for decades, it will mark forever Memphis man, how bad can that be.