[220Participant]

 I can’t believe the Sixers selected Mikal Bridges only to trade him for Zhaire Smith and a 2021 first round pick. Bridges was a perfect fit for the Sixers and Smith is largely raw. If anyone knows something I don’t or sees something I don’t see, please share. It just seems like they’re crazy.

[halfdecayedParticipant]

 nobody seems to understand the move really

[SeattleSuperChronicsParticipant]

 They should of taken Porter

[Dazzling Dunks and Basketball BloopersParticipant]

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.

[BrentSuriaga01Participant]

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

[220Participant]

 Yeah they definitely seem to have pulled a Sam Hinkie. Hopefully it works out for them. I feel bad for Bridges, but he learned day 1 all about the business side of the NBA.

[ZouldiersParticipant]

 Sixers really like Zhaire Smith.

[dudo670Participant]

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.

[220Participant]

 I agree with that sentiment. While I like Bridges I don’t believe he has much upside. I just didn’t see the trade coming. 

[weballin.netParticipant]

 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

[220Participant]

 TLC, Furkan Korkmaz, and Justin Anderson should put themselves on notice. The 76ers took two more guys to compete with them for minutes in Zhaire Smith and Landry Shamet. Those three will need to improve significantly if they hope to see the court in the signficant moments of the game.

[kobyzParticipant]

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

[The GoatParticipant]

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!

[celtics1982Participant]

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

[220Participant]

 The first round pick in 2021 is from the Heat. It’s impossible to say where that pick could fall right now. It could be 1st or 30th. The Heat don’t have a lot of young talent, but Riley continually finds ways to keep the team competitive.

[celtics1982Participant]

 Yea less high end young talent, but that team always gets free agents. I just don’t see the value if its a mid round pick.  The team won’t rebuild without having its pick. For me you dropped a tier and its a big tier.  I just feel they traded a guy that seemed perfect for them for a raw upside guy that doesn’t seem to fit. 

[celtics1982Participant]

 With a Simmons and Embiid it seemed perfect for them to surround them with athletic shooters. 3 and D guys, Bridges was a great one. Yet they take a guy that doesn’t like to shoot and reminds me of Tony Allen. Could be a real good defensive player, but does he fit?

[EndlessknightParticipant]

The Sixers worked him out twice. They wouldn’t have taken him if they didn’t believe he can be good shooter. It’s not like his shot is broken. He hit 45% of his 3, on low volume but still 45%.

[celtics1982Participant]

 1.1 attempt per game, he made a 3 point shot every other game. Tony Allen shot 39.5% from 3 on 2.4 attempts his freshmen year in College. They hope he’ll improve. Guys that won’t even shoot sometimes worry me more than guys that shoot a lower percentage. His scouting report says he’s hesitant to shoot from deep. He was picked because he’s highly athletic and good at D.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 Tony Allen had clear mechanical issues.  Zhaire has excellent mechanics on his shot.  Just because somebody doesn’t shoot doesn’t mean they can’t shoot alot of that can be coaching by empowering the player to shoot more.  Texas Tech was playing winning basketball so there was no need to force more shots from a freshman.

[celtics1982Participant]

 Per the Ringer "Reluctant shooter with funky mechanics. He’ll need to prove he can hit NBA 3’s"

Also he wasn’t very good at FTs for a guard at 71.7%, Allen was 69.1% his freshmen year.

 

[EndlessknightParticipant]

Shot doesn’t look bad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN_h7s53s2c

[220Participant]

 Honestly I wonder if Miami will be able to bring in free agents like they have in the past now. I believe a lot of their ability to draw free agents was due to having a top player like Dwyane Wade. They don’t have that anymore. I also don’t see a player on the roster that’s likely to get to a top player status in order to draw free agents. Miami may be stuck in a role of barely making the playoffs and missing the playoffs for the foreseeable future.

 

[celtics1982Participant]

 Have you ever been to South Beach? If not plan a trip. That alone gives them an advantage, along with an all-time great in Riley leading that team. They most likely won’t be great, but that’s likely a mid round pick. Decent asset, but not a crazy good one unless something crazy happens. Riley is great at finding players like Ainge.

[220Participant]

 I’ve been a Heat fan a long time. Everytime they added a top free agent they had a star like Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade, Shaq, and LeBron. I just wonder if Pat Riley and the location will be attractive enough without a star backing them. Riley is definitely a great executive and that draft is a long way away so it’s impossible to say what the Heat will look like. They may unfortunately be a team just missing or making the playoffs like they’ve been the past few sessons.

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 Also of note that even Brett Brown mentioned is that 2021 is supposedly the year High Schoolers will be allowed to enter the draft again so teams will want picks in the late 1st for value.  The Sixers view this pick as a trade asset. 

[r377Participant]

 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

 

 

 

[PhillySteveParticipant]

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.  

 

 

[220Participant]

 You’re right that this trade is colored by sentimental reaction. The thought coming into the draft was largely that the Sixers would be happy with Mikal Bridges. I know the Sixers were high on Zhaire Smith as well, I just thought he was a contingency assuming they didn’t get a Mikal Bridges or Kevin Knox type of guy. I agree that Smith also has a high ceiling likely higher than Bridges. I’ve calmed down since my initial reaction to this trade last night and the Sixers deal is definitely looking smarter this morning. At this point I can’t wait for summer league.

 

[HitsterParticipant]

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.

[BigChamp12Participant]

 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.

[kobyzParticipant]

 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…

[crossyboy82Participant]

 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

 

 

 

 

 

[R4unoParticipant]

 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.

[Author]

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