The Philadelphia 76ers have the opportunity to bring back a former player via a trade and can get draft compensation in the process.
Back in the 2016-17 season was the first time that the Philadelphia 76ers made a trade to acquire Ersan Ilyasova under the leadership of former president of basketball operations, Bryan Colangelo. At the time, Colangelo sent Jerami Grant to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Ilyasova and a 2020 protected first round pick. Now, the Sixers may have the opportunity to add the stretch big man via trade again.
Milwaukee is offering draft compensation this week in hopes of finding a team willing to take on the contract of Tony Snell or Ersan Ilyasova via trade, league sources say, as the Bucks seek to create added flexibility to retain elite status in the East
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 17, 2019
Currently, the Milwaukee Bucks only have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Eric Bledsoe on long term contracts. Khris Middleton has a player option that would allow him to be a free agent this summer. Both Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic are both unrestricted free agents. Malcolm Brogdon is a restricted free agent as well. Considering the Bucks reached the Eastern Conference finals with that group, it’s not surprising that they want to keep that group together.
Based on familiarity and being on a cheaper deal, Ilyasova is the more attractive of the two players the Bucks are trying to trade. Ilyasova has had two separate stints with the franchise in the past.
The first was in the 2016-17 when Ilyasova played 54 games after being traded to the Sixers. He play was important to the team’s floor spacing, averaging 14.8 points and 5.9 rebounds, while shooting 35.9 percent on 3-pointers. He was traded that season to the Atlanta Hawks along with a second round pick for two future second round picks.
His second stint with Philly came after the Hawks waived him in the middle of the 2017-18 season. While he didn’t have as big of a role as his first campaign with the Sixers, he was still a valuable role player for the franchise. In 23 games with the 76ers, he averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, while converting 36.1 percent of his shots from behind the arc.
Last summer, the Sixers lost Ilyasova in free agency to the Bucks and this past season with Milwaukee, he took a step back in production at the age of 31. He averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds, while making 36.3 percent of his shots from downtown. The reason for his drop in production is do to the great depth that the Bucks had cut his playing time down to second lowest of his career, his lowest came in his rookie year.