Getty Tobias Harris #12 of the Philadelphia 76ers drives to the basket against John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks.
Leading up to the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers were rumored to be gauging the market for multiple key players. Two of the most notable names were veteran forward Tobias Harris and defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle. While Daryl Morey did execute a trade on draft night for De’Anthony Melton, both players remain on the roster heading into free agency.
Ahead of the period when teams can officially negotiate with free agents, starting at 6 p.m Eastern time on June 30, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes devised mock trades for some of the hottest names in the rumor mill. When discussing San Antonio Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray, a three-team trade involving the Hawks and Sixers was brought up.
In this proposal, Atlanta would land Murray and Matisse Thbyulle, the Spurs would receive Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks, while the Sixers would get John Collins and Josh Richardson.
“From the Sixers’ perspective, they’d get off Harris’ contract and replace it with Collins’, which runs longer but at a much lower figure ($23.5 million vs. $37.6 million in 2022-23) without surrendering draft equity to do it,” Hughes wrote. “Note, too, that Collins is five years younger than Harris. Richardson would fill a three-and-D spot on a reasonable and expiring $12.2 million salary.”
Late in the afternoon of June 29, the Spurs actually did agree to send Murray to the Hawks in exchange for Danilo Gallinari and four first-round picks (2023, ’25, ’26 and ’27), according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Sixers Getting Back to Defensive Persona
Over the past few years, the Sixers built an identity centered around defense. While they’ve started to get away from it, Daryl Morey mentioned after the draft that it’s something he wants to get back. A trade of this framework would be a step in the right direction.
Collins is a young and physical forward who could give the Sixers some optionality in the frontcourt. This past season for Atlanta, the 24-year-old averaged 16.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 1.0 BPG. Bringing in a player like Collins helps two weak points for the Sixers. Not only is he a great rebounder but an effective outside shooter. For his career, Collins is shooting 37.6% from three.
Richardson is someone the Sixers are already well aware of, as he spent one season in Philly before being traded for Seth Curry. While his fit on that iteration of the roster was questionable at times, a reunion might make sense for both sides. This past season, he averaged 10.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, and 0.9 SPG.
With Danny Green gone, the Sixers need playable wings who can contribute on both ends of the floor. At six-foot-five with a six-foot-ten wingspan, Richardson can slide in next to James Harden and Tyrese Maxey and be the team’s primary perimeter defender. The 28-year-old is also fresh off the second-best three-point shooting season of his career, knocking down 41.5% of his shots from deep on close to four attempts per game.
Sixers Bringing Back Shake Milton
Another familiar face the Sixers are bringing back next season is Shake Milton. Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice reported the team picked up his option for $1.9 million.
Some Sixers housekeeping — they have officially exercised Shake Milton’s team option for next season, a team official confirmed to me this morning
Since joining the Sixers in 2018, Milton has shown some nice flashes. He had a down year in 2021, but that was primarily due to injuries. Across 55 games, the 25-year-old averaged 8.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 2.5 APG. Milton will likely enter training camp looking to retain a rotation spot in the backcourt alongside newly acquired De’Anthony Melton.