Are the Sixers crazy?

 nobody seems to understand the move really

 They should of taken Porter

I agree that the fit with bridges in philly seemed almost too good to be true and I was very surprised they decided to trade him. But Smith is a guy with a ton of potential and that 2021 first rounder could prove to be a valuable asset down the line. Although it might not be popular, I can at least see what they were thinking and it might prove to be a good decision in the long run.

 Pulled a Sam Hinkie my man. They acquired an unprotected 2021 from you guys. Could be used as part of a trade package.

 Sixers really like Zhaire Smith.

Why would you pick a role player in the lottery? If you’re the sixers this was a great trade. Zhaire Smith is a risky pick but so was Mikal and the upside is much greater on Zhaire. Plus you pick up a 2021 unprotected pick. Wow.

 a defensive SG like Smith than Bridges who is more of a SF and kind of duplicate Covington. I also thought that Bridges was a perfect fit as he brings defense and offense and is a local kid

It’s a saving money thing to have room to sign LeBron…

They were always taking Zhaire after the second workout. An uprotected first is a golden assset. They got their guy, the salary for the 16th will be less and although Bridges is a good player, Smith is potentially better. trust the process!

 They add another guy that has shooting issues to Simmons and Fultz. Why not DiVencenzo? That Bulls pick could be rather low in 2021. 

 The Sixers want to win ASAP before they have to resign and out payout on the next lot of contracts.

Bridges was more NBA ready and can contribute more now.

The Sixers have had 20-30 draft picks over the past 5 seasons, how many draft picks do they need ? They are already stashing players and not giving young guys like TLC and Korkmaz minutes.

I like Korkmaz

Initial reactions to the trade were colored by the sentimental reaction of Bridges pick by Philly at 10. Once that cleared, the trade was pretty impressive. 

Miami’s unprotected 1st in 2021 is likely to be valuable, maybe even more than that given current Heat contract construct.

Bridges may be a better pick straight up, but not even close once the 1st is included in the package.

Smith has as high a ceiling as anyone in the draft too.  

The Sixers really liked Smith despite Bridges being a good fit for them so they got a decent package and the future first rounder via the Heat will be a useful asset going forward.

The Suns have got a good player and probably feel the trade up was worth it given they have a set SG.

 Maybe its just me, but I really think theinterview wih Bridges and his mom probably got him shipped. I’m thinking they realized then that they didn’t want Bridges in the organziation with the his mm also being an employee. That’s what I seemed to get fro it. He was a perfect fit.

 Does phonix planning on trading Josh Jackson? They now have 3 premier guys who best position is sf, in jacksoJ, Warren and Bridges… Bridges might be the best fit along Booker with his Bruce bowen like defense…

 Part of the reason for Zaire’s low 3PTA is the fact he played PF for most of the season. Fresh man stats for Bridges and Smith:

bridges 52.1% 29.9% 78.7% 3.2R 0.9A 1.1S 0.7B 6.4PPG

Smith   55.6%  45.0% 71.7%   5R  1.8A 1.1S 1.1B 11.3PPG

Great defensive foundation for Smith and a promising shot %, albeit with low attempt nos.

Gre

 I think there are 3 reasons why the Sixers traded him, and these make the trade completely logical.

1. Miami’s pick. 2021 is likely the year when the one-and-done rule is scrapped. The talent level of the draft seems to be great and if you add some high schoolers, it might become one of the best drafts in recent history. Can’t predict it now of course, but the chance of this draft class being good is very high. Miami doesn’t have any exceptionally good young players, it’s hard to see them being in the contention for top seeds in 2021. Riley’s team probably won’t go into full rebuild, but to add something like a 7th pick to a potentially championship-winning team would already be great, we can see from Boston’s instance how well young talents can adjust to a team with a good system and culture already in place. And seeing Miami’s current roster, there’s always a small chance the pick is in top 3, so it’s probably worth the gamble.

2. Zhaire doesn’t have to play heavy minutes right away and also might have the higher potential, so he might actually be the better fit. He’s two years younger than Bridges and contrary to the general belief, at least what I have heard, the Sixers don’t have their rookie to play big minutes right away. 3-and-D players like Bridges aren’t that that hard to get, the Sixers have cap room and attractiveness to go after one in free agency, and they also have Justin Anderson, who isn’t as good as Mikal, but is definitely capable of playing some reserve minutes. Also, the Sixers might be thinking about the best case scenario where they get LeBron or George, and after getting one of them having or not having Bridges would be pretty irrelevant for them. In these cases, Zhaire can slowly play himself into rotation, having lots of time to fix his shooting alongside Simmons and Fultz.

3. The Sixers save a million in cap space. It most probably won’t matter, but who knows. If the opportunity arises in free agency to sign a superstar, they have to do that and it will be easier if the salary situation doesn’t distract them.

So in my opinion, the Sixers chose the best option. I think they couldn’t have gone wrong with their pick, with retaining Bridges or drafting Porter Jr instead of him would also have been good decisions. I would have liked them taking Porter equally much as I like the trade they made, but I don’t know his medical records. The option they chose is possibly the most rewarding, and without having glaring needs in any position or wanting to gamble on Porter Jr, it seems like the right choice to me.