Getty Shake Milton of the Philadelphia 76ers
In a January 31 PhillyVoice article, Kyle Neubeck named Shake Milton as someone who the Philadelphia 76ers could trade, explaining that Tyrese Maxey’s move to the bench along with Milton’s improved play this season could make him appealing to interested parties.
“An under-the-radar name to keep an eye on: Shake Milton, an unrestricted free agent after this season,” Neubeck said. “Milton has had a big bounce-back year, pairs well with basically any of their guards, and is on a dirt-cheap contract. But those are all reasons he would have some value at the deadline, combined with their desire to beef up defensive options off of the bench and the fact that Maxey has taken over the sixth-man role. It’d be hard to make a trade of significance with just Milton, but he’s an interesting sweetener for teams in need of bench help.”
The Sixers have counted on Milton more this season compared to last season. Milton’s has received an uptick in minutes this season compared to last, going from 21.4 minutes a game to 22.8 minutes, but, as Neubeck said, Milton has played better with more minutes, averaging 9.9 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three.
That’s an improvement from last season, where he averaged 8.1 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three. Maxey’s new role off the bench could cut into Milton’s minutes going forward, so if the Sixers were looking to get some value out of him, the trade deadline would be a good time to do so.
Milton Could Be Moved to Help Sixers Save Money
While Neubeck said the Sixers may look to move Milton to get some value out of him, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report said that the Sixers may look to move him, along with a few others, to save money.
“The 76ers are looking to add to bolster their chances in the Eastern Conference, but in the absence of a move to improve, look for the franchise to shop a wing like Furkan Korkmaz or Matisse Thybulle (or guard Shake Milton) to get under the luxury tax,” Pincus said.
Milton will make nearly $2 million this season, which is less than Korkmaz ($5 million) and Thybulle ($4.3 million), so trading one or both of the latter two would help the Sixers accomplish that goal. Milton also has had a bigger role with the Sixers this season than Korkmaz or Thybulle, so if they are looking to trade expendable players for the sake of cutting salary, Korkmaz and Thybulle fit that bill better than Milton.
Multiple Teams Interested in Thybulle
Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that multiple Western Conference playoff contenders are interested in acquiring Thybulle.
“Multiple NBA sources said the Golden State Warriors have had internal discussions about Thybulle and that they do like him as a defensive stopper,” Pompey said. “The Sacramento Kings are also reportedly monitoring his availability.”
The Warriors’ perimeter defense took a blow when Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II left in the offseason. Meanwhile, the Kings are looking for their first playoff birth since 2006 and are currently the no. 3 seed in the Western Conference. While the Warriors are tied with the Nuggets for the league’s 15th-lowest defensive rating – allowing 113.3 points per 100 possessions – the Kings are the 21st, allowing 114.5 points per 100 possessions.