Philadelphia 76ers should trade for Ersan Ilyasova (again)

Hypothetical trade

Despite his decrease in minutes, the stretch big man was still producing solid numbers and proved last season to still be a solid contributor in less minutes. Assuming that the 76ers re-sign key free agents in Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick, Ilyasova would have to take a lesser role again this upcoming season if the Sixers make a trade for the stretch big man.

As Marc Stein pointed out, the Bucks are willing to include draft compensation to rid themselves of Ilyasova. If the Sixers made an offer for the big, they could use the opportunity to move up into the draft. Here is what a potential deal could look like.

In this proposed deal, the Bucks would be able to shed the salary of Ilyasova and only move down four spots in the draft to do so. Not a terrible cost considering the help it would bring in retaining their key free agents this summer and still getting the 34th pick via the Chicago Bulls.

Philly is the real winner of this hypothetical deal as they would get another first round selection with the 30th pick. They could use the pick to have long term control of another young player. With the 30th pick, the Sixers could easily go for the best player available, but the appeal of having a young player on a longer rookie contract would be the main appeal of moving up into the first round.

Another option is with that 30th pick, Philly could package it with the 24th pick they currently own if they want to move up in the draft if there’s a player they really like in the late-teens or earlier-20s of the draft. They have options with that 30th pick. Then, of course, adding a veteran like Ilyasova would be a big boost to the 76ers bench.