Explaining Why the Sixers Traded K.J. McDaniels

On the surface, the Sixers trading K.J. McDaniels to the Rockets for Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick can be confusing, I understand. McDaniels has made nation headlines for his highlight dunks and blocks. People have taken those highlights and formed the opinion that K.J. McDaniels is a good basketball player. One day he might grow to be one, but the 6’6″ guard is not presently one. His athleticism is next level and he has the ability to change the momentum of a game. However, those things alone do not create a solid basketball player.

Losing K.J. stings because he was a source of excitement. When the Sixers were down double digits to an opponent, McDaniels was always there to wake us up out of our sleep. He made some terrific plays. However, as we all know, McDaniels signed a one-year deal this summer and was headed into restricted free agency in 2015.

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If we all trust Sam Hinkie in the plan, then I ask you to trust him with the McDaniels situation. McDaniels could have been gone from the Sixers this summer for nothing. Conversely, he could find himself back in Philadelphia if Mr. Hinkie decides to pull out a large offer sheet for him, because the Sixers cap room certainly leaves that option open.

In terms of basic statistics, McDaniels was averaging 9.2 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He boasted shooting splits of 40/29/76. After scorching the Earth and shooting 39 percent from three in his first 11 games, he regressed fully and was shooting 20 percent from three in his last seven games. McDaniels’ offensive rating was 91.9, while his defenive rating was 100.3. His hot start had people wondering what it would take to keep him this summer, but his regression calmed a lot of that discussion.

The 6’6″ guard from Clemson has potential as a 3-and-D player if he can ever fix his shot. However, at this point, his offense is a mess. McDaniels is averaging only 0.81 ppp in spot-up opportunities with an effective field goal percentage of 43.8. He only converted on 32.6 percent of spot-up opportunities, which accounted for 32.3 percent of his offense. The Sixers offense attempted to put him in the right spots to nail shots, but most times he couldn’t put the ball in the bucket.

Nov 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard K.J. McDaniels (14) dunks the ball against the Orlando Magic during the second half at the Wells Fargo Center. The Magic defeated the 76ers 91-89. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Another spot where one would assume McDaniels would excel is in transition. While he’s averaging 1.02 ppp in transition and scores on 48.3 percent of those opportunities, there are other Sixers that have been doing a better job. Namely, Jerami Grant and Robert Covington. The upstart Grant is producing 1.06 ppp and Covington is producing 1.24 ppp in transition. Grant (19.7) and Covington (25.0) opportunities in transition are on par with McDaniels (20.7) as these count for close to 20 percent of their offense for all three players.

The excellent recent play of Jerami Grant and the consistent shooting of Robert Covington makes me believe that it had something to do with K.J. McDaniels being expendable. Jerami Grant, the No. 39 pick in the 2014 Draft, has formed into a real 3-and-D option for the Sixers. On the other hand, Covington has been excellent from outside and has stepped up his help defense.

While I ultimately believe it came down to the contract situation, I can’t rule out that this didn’t have something to do with it. I can see why people would be upset, because the Sixers will lose a lot of excitement without McDaniels on the court.

All in all, one would have to assume that Sam Hinkie knew something that we didn’t about McDaniels’ impending free agency. Who knows, Hinkie could bring his back in restricted free agency, although the Rockets will have an opportunity to match. Their cap is going to be close to $60 million next season, so they might not want to match anything too pricey.

At this point, you have to trust in Sam Hinkie if you’re still with the plan. Regardless, Isaiah Canaan will finally have his chance in the NBA, something we broke down today. If you’re still reading this, then you trust the process and I hope you keep trusting it.

I will reference a Danica Patrick quote to end this piece. Take it away Danica:

"Take those chances and you can achieve greatness, whereas if you go conservative, you’ll never know. I truly believe what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Even if you fail, learning and moving on is sometimes the best thing."

All statistics via nba.com/stats unless otherwise noted