76ers deal for De'Anthony Melton
How can Melton help the Philadelphia 76ers? The Sixers acquired Melton, the most valuable current NBA player to be traded during Thursday's draft, from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the No. 23 pick and injured wing Danny Green.
76ers get:
De'Anthony Melton
Grizzlies get:
David Roddy (No. 23 pick in 2022)
Danny Green
Philadelphia 76ers: B+
Four years ago, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey took Melton with the No. 46 pick, envisioning him playing alongside James Harden for the Houston Rockets. That never came to pass because Melton was traded to the Phoenix Suns two months later before ever playing in Houston. Now, after a stop in Memphis where Melton established himself as the kind of impact defender Morey surely expected, that plan will finally play out in Philadelphia.
Playing off the bench for the Grizzlies, Melton developed into a reliable shooter (39% from 3-point range the past two seasons) who offers one of the league's better combinations of rebounds, steals and blocks from the backcourt. Melton is stretched a bit as a lead ball handler but won't likely have to play that role much for the Sixers alongside Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Meanwhile, his shooting differentiates him from new teammate Matisse Thybulle, also an ace perimeter defender.
From Philadelphia's standpoint, Melton's descending contract (which pays him $8.25 million in 2022-23 and $8 million in 2023-24) was surely appealing. The 76ers could rightfully believe Melton is far better (and younger; he's still just 24) than anybody they could have signed by using their non-taxpayer midlevel exception this summer.
With Melton on the books instead of Green's non-guaranteed contract, Philadelphia will presumably now be limited to the smaller taxpayer midlevel exception. Having both that and Melton is preferable in the short term to having the No. 23 pick and the non-taxpayer exception. Melton probably won't start for the Sixers, who presumably want more size on the perimeter, but he could finish games alongside Harden and Maxey depending on the matchups.
Down the road, Philadelphia might miss having a first-round pick on a rookie contract. The 76ers will send next year's first-rounder to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Harden trade and owe a top-six-protected pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the deal to acquire Green. That leaves Philly with just one first-round pick over the next three years.
Memphis Grizzlies: C+
With starting wing Dillon Brooks in and out of the lineup, Melton averaged a career-high 22.7 MPG for the Grizzlies in 2021-22 and was a key part of the team finishing with the West's second-best record. Come playoff time, however, it was Melton's role that was variable. He didn't see any action during the last two games of Memphis' first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and played sparingly in the final two losses to the Golden State Warriors in the second round.
For now, the Grizzlies have plenty of flexibility to retain their deep rotation. Down the road, as extensions kick in for Ja Morant in 2023-24 and Desmond Bane the season after that, Memphis will have to start making some more difficult choices. This was the first such domino with Memphis choosing another player on a rookie contract (Colorado State forward David Roddy) over Melton.
In the short term, the Grizzlies will undoubtedly be weaker. Eventually they'll surely hope to develop a low-cost replacement for Melton, nabbed from the Suns after a disappointing rookie season. Memphis has proven adept at finding contributors, but I think Melton will prove difficult to replace.
To complete this deal, the Grizzlies will have to guarantee part of Green's $10 million salary for 2022-23, which was non-guaranteed through July 1. If the deal is completed before then, Memphis would have to guarantee a little less than $5 million of that to match Melton's salary. The Grizzlies have more than enough cap room to guarantee the whole thing and keep Green, who suffered an ACL tear during the playoffs and likely won't play next season, to use in trade as an expiring contract.
76ers deal for De'Anthony Melton
How can Melton help the Philadelphia 76ers? The Sixers acquired Melton, the most valuable current NBA player to be traded during Thursday's draft, from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the No. 23 pick and injured wing Danny Green.
76ers get:
De'Anthony Melton
Grizzlies get:
David Roddy (No. 23 pick in 2022)
Danny Green
Philadelphia 76ers: B+
Four years ago, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey took Melton with the No. 46 pick, envisioning him playing alongside James Harden for the Houston Rockets. That never came to pass because Melton was traded to the Phoenix Suns two months later before ever playing in Houston. Now, after a stop in Memphis where Melton established himself as the kind of impact defender Morey surely expected, that plan will finally play out in Philadelphia.
Playing off the bench for the Grizzlies, Melton developed into a reliable shooter (39% from 3-point range the past two seasons) who offers one of the league's better combinations of rebounds, steals and blocks from the backcourt. Melton is stretched a bit as a lead ball handler but won't likely have to play that role much for the Sixers alongside Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Meanwhile, his shooting differentiates him from new teammate Matisse Thybulle, also an ace perimeter defender.
From Philadelphia's standpoint, Melton's descending contract (which pays him $8.25 million in 2022-23 and $8 million in 2023-24) was surely appealing. The 76ers could rightfully believe Melton is far better (and younger; he's still just 24) than anybody they could have signed by using their non-taxpayer midlevel exception this summer.
With Melton on the books instead of Green's non-guaranteed contract, Philadelphia will presumably now be limited to the smaller taxpayer midlevel exception. Having both that and Melton is preferable in the short term to having the No. 23 pick and the non-taxpayer exception. Melton probably won't start for the Sixers, who presumably want more size on the perimeter, but he could finish games alongside Harden and Maxey depending on the matchups.
Down the road, Philadelphia might miss having a first-round pick on a rookie contract. The 76ers will send next year's first-rounder to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the Harden trade and owe a top-six-protected pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the deal to acquire Green. That leaves Philly with just one first-round pick over the next three years.
Memphis Grizzlies: C+
With starting wing Dillon Brooks in and out of the lineup, Melton averaged a career-high 22.7 MPG for the Grizzlies in 2021-22 and was a key part of the team finishing with the West's second-best record. Come playoff time, however, it was Melton's role that was variable. He didn't see any action during the last two games of Memphis' first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves and played sparingly in the final two losses to the Golden State Warriors in the second round.
For now, the Grizzlies have plenty of flexibility to retain their deep rotation. Down the road, as extensions kick in for Ja Morant in 2023-24 and Desmond Bane the season after that, Memphis will have to start making some more difficult choices. This was the first such domino with Memphis choosing another player on a rookie contract (Colorado State forward David Roddy) over Melton.
In the short term, the Grizzlies will undoubtedly be weaker. Eventually they'll surely hope to develop a low-cost replacement for Melton, nabbed from the Suns after a disappointing rookie season. Memphis has proven adept at finding contributors, but I think Melton will prove difficult to replace.
To complete this deal, the Grizzlies will have to guarantee part of Green's $10 million salary for 2022-23, which was non-guaranteed through July 1. If the deal is completed before then, Memphis would have to guarantee a little less than $5 million of that to match Melton's salary. The Grizzlies have more than enough cap room to guarantee the whole thing and keep Green, who suffered an ACL tear during the playoffs and likely won't play next season, to use in trade as an expiring contract.