The not-so-obvious benefits of trading for Markelle Fultz
By Roger Acker
Markelle Fultz’s inherent talent may not be the only benefit for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Philadelphia 76ers fans are rejoicing over the trade for Markelle Fultz. Adding one of the top point guard prospects in recent in the past decade to a team already consisting of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Dario Saric gives them arguably the best young core in basketball. However, when looked at in more depth, this trade helps the Sixers far more than just adding a great guard.
Philadelphia 76ers
Easing into the League
No matter how talented a player is, giving the reigns of an NBA offense to a player without NBA experience is never a good idea. In a major city like Philadelphia and all the hype surrounding their upcoming season, the pressure may get to their head and early season struggles will result in unnecessary criticism. With the belief that Simmons and Fultz will share time running point, both players get the luxury of being able to share the responsibility as lead distributor while being able to rely on each other when struggling.
This also lets both players better understand the NBA by improving their versatility. With Fultz playing lead guard, Simmons can spend time at the three, four and maybe even the five. This allows Coach Brown to determine Simmons most natural fit, with some believing he should be slotted as a small forward and others wanting him at power forward. When Simmons gets to play point, as all fans have eagerly anticipated for the last year, Fultz will be able to play off the ball as a two. His presence on the wing will open up the lane for Simmons and provide much needed spacing. Also, due to his size and athleticism, Fultz will be able to guard multiple positions which is highly valuable in current screen-heavy NBA offenses.
Keeping him away from the Celtics
Even though the Sixers have built a strong core, the Celtics were the number one seed in the East last season and the Raptors have been the second best team in the eastern conference over the last few years. Preventing teams in their division from improving is a even more would be a good idea. The fact that the Celtics could be a one seed while at the same time hoard onto the most valuable stash of assets in the league is scary, and thinking they could add Markelle Fultz to that mix is scarier.
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By giving the Celtics two more picks instead of Fultz, it improves their stash of assets but not their long-term future. Having an extra draft pick increases what they can offer other teams for a star player, including Jimmy Butler and Paul George. The Celtics trading for these stars would not necessarily hurt the Sixers because it sets the Celtics with competing for the East now, against LeBron, and not for 5 years in the future when the 76ers will be looking for a championship.
Financially
If Embiid, Simmons, and Fultz are as good as everyone hopes, then they will cost the Sixers a whole lot of money to keep. They will end up holding a large percentage of the salary cap, and with Saric having a strong season, adding another star or very talented player would be extremely difficult financially. If the Fultz trade never happened and the 76ers kept the #3 pick as well as the future Lakers or Kings one, they may have found themselves having to pick and choose who to remove from the roster.
In an era where high end role players can make $20 million a year, having to overpay players is not uncommon. If Josh Jackson would have been the pick at three, it’s easy imagining him demanding a max contract four years down the line. Even if the future Lakers or Kings pick did not become a star but instead just a solid player, he could be making 14-16 million. Instead, investing in a core of Embiid, Simmons, and Fultz would prevent the team from having to overpay future top draft picks.
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Adding Fultz to the team will provide the team an easier transition from rebuilding to competing. He is more than just a great prospect to add to the team and Colangelo was smart enough to recognize this and pounce on the trade. Hopefully, with all this talent, it will help the Philadelphia 76ers secure their first playoff birth since 2012.