Getty Shake Milton #18, Philadelphia 76ers
With the NBA Trade Deadline being weeks away, the Philadelphia 76ers‘ window to make a trade gets smaller with each passing day. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus revealed who could potentially hit the trade market, which included Sixers guard Shake Milton.
“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.
The Sixers’ intent to trade players away to save money has been reported before, like Marc Stein reporting on his Substack on January 14 that the Sixers were looking to trade players to save on their luxury tax.
“There is a rising expectation that Philadelphia will look to move either Jaden Springer or Furkan Korkmaz before the Feb. 9 trade deadline in hopes of shedding luxury-tax dollars,” Stein said.
However, Milton is a new name to show up in these rumors. Milton is on an expiring contract, where he’s slated to make around $2 million. Trading away Korkmaz, who will make $5 million this season and $5.3 million the next, or Thybulle, who will make nearly $4.4 million this season, to get off their deals would do better in accomplishing the Sixers’ goals of saving money instead of Milton.
Unlike Thybulle and Korkmaz, Milton has been regularly featured in the Sixers’ rotation this season, playing in 43 games while averaging 10.2 points while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three.
Proposed Trade Reunites Sixers With Robert Covington
While it’s been reported by both Pincus and Stein that the Sixers may make trades to save money, Pincus said that they are trying to make trades that will improve themselves too. With that, an Eastern Conference executive told Sean Deveney that one possible player the Sixers could look into is Robert Covington of the Los Angeles Clippers.
“Robert Covington is out of favor with the Clippers. He could have a role in Philadelphia, though,” the exec told Deveney. “He came up with Joel (Embiid), and Daryl loves him. They would hope he gets a buyout, but the Clippers would not have much incentive to do that unless they have another deal and need the roster spot.”
The executive said that Thybulle and Korkmaz could potentially be used should a trade be discussed between the two teams.
“The Sixers could give up Korkmaz and Thybulle there, but you’re giving up two young guys for Covington, who looks older than his age (32) at this point. That is not the big move a lot of people in Philly want, but it is a realistic target.”
Both the Sixers and Morey have prior experience with Covington. Covington played for the Sixers from 2014 to 2018. Morey acquired Covington back when he was the general manager of the Houston Rockets in 2020.
Milton Sends Strong Message on Joel Embiid
Before the Sixers took on the Brooklyn Nets on January 25, Milton gave his thoughts on the upcoming matchup between Joel Embiid and former Sixer Ben Simmons.
“We like that matchup,” Milton told reporters on January 24, per Justin Grasso of Sports Illustrated. “We’re gonna throw him the ball and let him go to work for sure.”
Milton then made it clear that he believes Embiid has the advantage against anyone who tries to defend him, let alone Simmons.
“I mean, we like Jo against anybody, honestly,” Milton said. “So it really doesn’t matter. Obviously, there’s a lot of hype around it, the matchup and the teams and everything that’s going on, but for us, it’s just gonna be about getting another win, honestly.”