The 76ers reportedly tried to land Eric Gordon last night, Morey enforces “win now” mode during media availability
Last night, the Philadelphia 76ers traded the No. 23 pick and Danny Green to the Memphis Grizzlies for combo-guard De’Anthony Melton.
It was the right trade to make for the Sixers, who were able to move Danny Green and the No. 23 pick to acquire Melton, who just turned 24-years old. The trade itself is clearly a “win now” move and Morey hammered that point home this morning while speaking to the media.
“We’re trying to win now,” Morey said. “We’re looking for players who can contribute. We were the No. 1 defense two years ago. We were good last year. We want to make sure we improve that. So if we can get a perimeter defender, maybe for a draft pick, we’d feel very good about that. I think someone like that is someone who can really contribute and be a two-way player. Someone like that would be a really nice addition.”
In 2022, Melton posted career-highs in points per game (10.8) and rebounds per game (4.5). He’s a strong, versatile player who can play both guard positions and defend.
Serving as a key reserve for Memphis last season, Melton will bolster a Sixers’ bench unit that has struggled in recent years. Melton has shot 39% from three on just under five attempts/game over the last two seasons.
According to reports, the 76ers and Morey were looking to make even more moves last night. Here’s what Keith Pompey had to say this morning in regards to the Sixers attempting to trade for Eric Gordon.
76ers Tried to Trade for Eric Gordon Last Night:
“The Sixers also tried to acquire the Rockets’ Eric Gordon on draft night, using Matisse Thybulle as an asset. They even attempted to get a third team to participate, according to multiple league sources. Sources say Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is still trying to acquire Gordon despite being unsuccessful on Thursday night.”
“Morey really wanted to add Gordon on draft night via a three-team trade, according to sources. However, teams wanted to deal with the Sixers exclusively rather than help facilitate a deal to get Gordon from Houston, sources say. The Portland Trail Blazers were willing to make a straight-up deal for Thybulle, according to sources.“
The 76ers have also been linked to PJ Tucker, who opted out of his player option and will become a free agent on June 30th. Tucker opting out of his player option is intriguing.
NBA Free Agency doesn’t start until June 30th and any official negotiations can’t even happen until then or they’ll be considered tampering. However, according to Keith Pompey, multiple sources have the Sixers intending to offer Tucker a three-year $30 million contract.
Honestly, I would rather have Eric Gordon than 37 year old PJ Tucker and after acquiring De’Anthony Melton, I think that’s the route they will go in terms of what’s needed to continue to bolster the bench unit and ideally, find a fifth starter on a team that right now has Matisse Thybulle locked into that spot in the lineup.
Beyond that, I am still watching the Brooklyn Nets organization completely fall apart and hoping that Kevin Durant finds his way out and lands in Philadelphia, but as we all know, that’s an extreme long shot from actually happening.
