Getty Furkan Korkmaz #30 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket past Malik Monk #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a 126-121 76ers win.
Teams around the NBA have begun to get their first looks at their rosters as the players take the court to kick off the 2022-23 season. For the Philadelphia 76ers, there has been a sense of positivity radiating from camp as the team builds up its chemistry in South Carolina. However, the team currently has 17 rostered players for 15 slots and will be forced to settle this ahead of the regular season deadline One player whose roster spot may not be entirely secure is Furkan Korkmaz.
.@FurkanKorkmaz playing for Turkey today vs. Belgium:
16 PTS / 5 REB / 6-12 fg
NBA Executive Believes Lakers Will Show Interest in Korkmaz
A team that still has a number of questions surrounding the future of their roster is the Los Angeles Lakers. They will be hoping for a much improved season following their 33-49 record last year. As they look to make the final touches to increase their chances of winning this year, Korkmaz has emerged as a potential trade target. According to a Western Conference Executive who spoke with Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney:
“Korkmaz from Philadelphia, he is someone who makes sense to target if the Sixers are able to upgrade elsewhere. If they’re looking for depth in the backcourt, trading away Korkmaz for (Kendrick) Nunn makes some sense,” The executive told Deveney.
The Turkish sniper is an intriguing buy-low candidate who is coming off the worst season of his career thus far. The Lakers will be looking to improve their perimeter shooting to provide the proper floor spacing this year. During the 2021-22 season, the team ranked 21st in three-point percentage and 17th in three-point attempts. There was not a player on the Lakers roster who shot above 40% from deep last season (minimum 70 attempts) which would make Korkmaz’s type of long-range ability a positive addition.
Is Korkmaz Expendable on the Sixers?
While the 25-year-old has been warmly received in Philadelphia and is the longest-tenured member of the Sixers outside of Joel Embiid, difficult decisions must be made. The Sixers made upgrading the bench a major priority this offseason and added De’Anthony Melton, Danuel House, Montrezl Harrell, and PJ Tucker as a result.
This newfound depth makes Korkmaz less necessary on the roster. His defensive shortcomings have limited his ability to stay on the court for extended periods times and his career-low 28.9% three-point percentage in 2021-22 forced him out of the rotation. He recently opened up about sustaining nerve damage in his hand last season which played a role in his difficulties and spent two months rehabbing the issue this summer. While this is a reason for optimism, the Sixers clearly targeted more well-rounded rotational pieces and Korkmaz may not have the role he is used to if he does remain on the roster.
Furkan Korkmaz says he had some nerve damage in his neck last season and that sensation was in his fingers and it affected his shot. And that got him out of his rhythm. He says he had several months of rehab
With more depth than has been the case in several years, Korkmaz could very well find himself on the move ahead of the regular season. Making a deal in which the Sixers send out more players than they bring back is something that holds great appeal as it would help solve the roster issues and avoid making cuts. Korkmaz and Matisse Thybulle have been theorized to be likely candidates for this type of deal due to each of their unique abilities and the financial flexibility their contracts provide.
While Kendrick Nunn was the player brought up by the Western Conference Executive, Daryl Morey will likely prioritize adding a draft pick and working out the finances rather than what player would come back in return if a trade does come to fruition.