After reportedly signing veteran marksman J.J. Redick to a one-year deal on Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to make a trade before the 4th of July.
The Sixers acquired forward Wilson Chandler from the Denver Nuggets, a 2021 second round pick, and the rights to swap 2022 second round picks in exchange for minimal cash considerations, according to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated.
This trade helps out both teams as the Sixers have the cap room to take on Chandler’s $12.8 million salary for this upcoming season. On the other hand, Denver will save about $50 million in combined salary and luxury tax, per ESPN’s Front Office Insider Bobby Marks.
David Aldridge of NBA.com also reports that the Sixers could trade Chandler because his salary is in the team’s available cap space, but the plan is to keep him.
Last season for Denver, Chandler only averaged 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds in 31.7 minutes per game. He also shot 44.5 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three-point range.
Just by reading those numbers and comparing them to his overall resume, you could make the case that Chandler had a down year. However, over his 10-year career, the former DePaul University standout is averaging 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
The veteran small forward should be able to provide the Sixers with some well-needed depth at the wing position for next season. Currently, the only wing players Philadelphia has are Robert Covington, Zhaire Smith, and Furkan Korkmaz.
Overall, it is a low-risk, high reward for Philadelphia. If they can get the 2016-17 season version of Chandler to show up next season, it will give them a huge boost off the bench.
During that season, in particular, Chandler averaged 15.7 points and a career-high 6.5 rebounds a game.
The best part about this trade is that Chandler’s contract comes off the books next summer. This means that the Sixers will have flexibility heading into summer’s NBA free agency period to possibly acquire a star if they choose to.
If he can stay healthy, Chandler should be a great two-way player for a young Sixers team that is looking to be the top dog in the Eastern Conference.
