The Philadelphia 76ers went perimeter heavy in the 2018 NBA Draft and trading Jerryd Bayless to the Sacramento Kings will help even out the roster.
The drafting of three perimeter players in Zhaire Smith, Landry Shamet and Shake Milton, will almost assuredly mean that the Philadelphia 76ers will need to make at least one other transaction this offseason to gain roster balance. Currently the Sixers only have Richaun Holmes, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid signed for next season who are big men. The Sixers need to add depth at the big man position and trading veteran Jerryd Bayless to the Sacramento Kings will do that.
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There are several reasons why Bayless is the ideal player to move. Bayless hasn’t put up the best of numbers while in Philadelphia. With the Sixers he’s only averaged 8.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.3 turnovers per game, while shooting 40.8 percent from the floor and 37.1 from 3-point land. He’s only played in 42 games in two seasons with the club due to injury problems.
Bayless performance on the court is well below the $8.6 million due on the last year of his contract this upcoming season. If Bayless can’t be included in a deal to land the Sixers a big star, for example Kawhi Leonard, then Philly’s front office should use him in a deal to land the club a legit reserve center.
The Sacramento Kings have a plethora of big men and not many guards on their payroll for next season. A straight swap of Kosta Koufos for Bayless would make sense for both teams. Bayless may just need a change of scenery and being a veteran leader for the Kings young point guard De’Aaron Fox is a win for the Kings in the hypothetical trade.
In the proposed trade, the Sixers get a seasoned veteran in Koufos who has career averages of 16.7 minutes, 5.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks. Koufos could either be the third string center or Embiid’s backup based on how much Holmes improves during the offseason. The only down part is that the Sixers aren’t saving any money by taking Koufos on the last year of his deal worth $8.7 million.
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If the Philadelphia 76ers can’t include Bayless in a deal for a star and if the club can’t re-sign free agent Amir Johnson, then trading Bayless for Koufos is the best choice for the club. Bayless could help the Kings with their point guard depth and Koufos would be a solid addition for the Sixers.