We have our first trade of the 2016-17 NBA season.
And, surprise surprise, it involves the Philadelphia 76ers.
As first reported by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Philly is sending Jerami Grant to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Ersan Ilyasova and a future pick:
Philadelphia has traded Jerami Grant to OKC, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 1, 2016
OKC sends Ersan Ilyasova and a conditional future pick to the Sixers, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 1, 2016
The pick in question, per ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe and the Norman Transcript‘s Fred Katz, is a protected first:
Can confirm OKC is sending a protected FIRST for Jerami Grant. That surprises me.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) November 1, 2016
Thunder announce the Grant trade. Pick is top-20 protected starting in 2020. Rolls over to two second-round picks in 2022 and 2023 otherwise pic.twitter.com/o2MiksbziW
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) November 1, 2016
Finally, as ESPN.com’s Royce Young noted, the Thunder created a sizable trade exception by making this deal:
The Thunder also generate a $7.5 million trade exception in this deal, which expires a year from today.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) November 1, 2016
The Sixers’ thought process is a tad puzzling here—especially because, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com relayed, they are intent on keeping Ilyasova, who will become a free agent after this season:
ESPN sources say that the Sixers made the trade to KEEP Ersan Ilyasova. They've wanted a stretch four to help Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 1, 2016
Their logic makes some sense when viewed through this scope. They most certainly need a stretch 4. Grant, though he entered the league as a shooting guard-small forward, could soak up time at power forward, but he doesn’t space the floor. Rookie Dario Saric hasn’t been knocking down threes, either. Ben Simmons’ return, which is expected to come some time in January, adds dynamism to the 4 spot, but not floor spacing; his jumper is a work in progress.
Flipping a youngster like Grant, 22, for a veteran like Ilyasova, 29, is still weird. The Sixers shouldn’t be focusing on acquiring players who help them win now. And if that is the focus, the players they acquire should be younger.
Getting a first-round pick back in exchange for Grant, who was eventually going to get lost in the frontcourt shuffle, is, indeed, a solid return. But the selection is heavily protected and could turn into two second-rounders, so the move was far from a no-brainer. Grant has upside as a shot-blocker and pick-and-roll rim-runner. The Sixers might have done better to try developing him more themselves—though, maybe this is a sign that they don’t intend to move Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor before the season is out.
Whatever the case, more moves should be coming for the Sixers. They still have a fierce frontcourt logjam, and there is little to gain by standing pat now.
