The Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of trying to build a contender in the Eastern Conference and in order to do that, they need win-now players as they move forward with a title-ready roster led by Joel Embiid and James Harden. At this point, that is more important than bringing in another young player who needs development at this level.
Therefore, Daryl Morey and co. swung a deal that sent the No. 23 pick in Thursday’s draft to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for De’Anthony Melton. He is a 4-year veteran who averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 37.4% from deep in his fourth season in the league. He was a big piece off the bench for Memphis in helping them make the playoffs.
Philadelphia is trading the No. 23 pick to Memphis for DeAnthony Melton, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2022
On top of that, the Sixers are also sending veteran Danny Green to the Grizzlies to match the salary. Green suffered an ACL tear in the Game 6 elimination loss to the Miami Heat and he is expected to miss a majority of the 2022-23 season.
Sources: 76ers moved Danny Green and No. 23 to Memphis as part of trade to acquire De'Anthony Melton.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2022
Melton is a guy who helps the Sixers right now and he is a tough guy. He fills some needs for Philadelphia as a ball-handler, a shooter, and somebody who can provide some toughness that he picked up along the way in his career. He is also a terrific defender out on the perimeter as he is a legitimate two-way player that can help right now.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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