Getty Jalen McDaniels (left) of the Philadelphia 76ers
After the Philadelphia 76ers traded Matisse Thybulle in a three-way deal that landed them Jalen McDaniels, Dan Favale of Bleacher Report gave the Sixers high praise for their latest acquisition, giving them an A+ for the trade, and not just because of what McDaniels could do for them.
“The Sixers will deal. They comfortably skirt the tax as part of this trade, affording them necessary wiggle room in advance of #buyoutseason. And turning one second-rounder into two is useful divesting for a team barren of movable selections,” Favale said.
Favale then detailed why the Sixers could use someone like McDaniels, specifically citing that he is a better option than Thybulle.
“Philadelphia doesn’t need someone to generate from-scratch scoring, but McDaniels can grab-and-go on the break and should be able to advance his pump-and-drive game inside the Sixers’ offense.
“Couple his size and multi-level help defense with this brand of ‘any offensive upside whatsoever,’ and you have someone infinitely more playable for this team in the postseason than Thybulle.”
Favale also detailed the holes in McDaniels’ game but also included how the newest Sixer has improved.
“The Sixers will need him to nudge up his sub-33-percent three-point clip, and his blend of turnarounds, fadeaways, floaters and runners is a little unsettling, but he’s made strides with his handle and on-ball decision-making.”
Thybulle’s Thoughts on Trade Deadline
Before the Sixers traded Thybulle, he gave his candid thoughts on the prospect of being dealt at the trade deadline to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer on February 8.
“I’ve just accepted it,” Thybulle told Pompey. “It is what it is. I have no control, so it’s just whatever will happen it will be.”
Thybulle decided that the rumors wouldn’t bother him because they have in the past, and it stressed him out.
“I hurt myself in the past by having a desired outcome,” Thybulle said, “And then the stress of that. So this year, there is no desired outcome.
“It is to just be fully present for whatever is there, whenever it happens.”
Now, Thybulle will get to start the next chapter of his career with the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers traded both Josh Hart and Gary Payton II to the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors respectively, so the opportunity will be there for him to get more minutes with them than he did with the Sixers this season, where he averaged 12.1 minutes a game.
Korkmaz Still a Sixer
After the trade deadline passed at 3:00 pm Eastern Time, Furkan Korkmaz still remains with the Sixers, as reported by Pompey.
Furkan Korkmaz remained on the Sixers roster past the trade deadline. The Sixers guard had requested to be moved.
This comes as a shock as Pompey reported on February 6 that not only did Korkmaz make a trade request, but the Sixers were also planning on trading him as part of a package.
“Furkan Korkmaz wants to move on from the 76ers.
“Sources have said the Turkish player has requested to be traded before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. Asked about it, Korkmaz would only say he ‘would not confirm nor deny it,’” Pompey reported.
“Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey didn’t immediately respond to a text message asking if Korkmaz asked to be traded. But sources have said Korkmaz was informed the Sixers will try to package him in a deal.”
The one conundrum may have been that Korkmaz’s contract extends into next season where he will make $5.3 million, which teams may not be comfortable taking in since Korkmaz has not been featured in the Sixers’ rotation this season, having only played 25 games.