Philadelphia 76ers picking up Shake Milton’s option is a good move

The offseason hot stove has heated up for the Philadelphia 76ers since June 13th, 2022. That is to be expected as the team needs a revamp and the NBA Draft, the real beginning of the offseason, occurs on draft night.

On the stove, one rumor cooked up in a Keith Pompey article, per The Inquirer was that sources around the league believed Shake Milton’s $1.9 million option would not be picked up. Hours later we learned that that was not the case, according to Mike Scotto of Hoopshype.

Thankfully the team did not just hand another team a capable rotation player. The Sixers picking up Milton’s option is a good move due to his ability to contribute as a bench player for Philly and his potential to be a sweetener in a 76ers trade this summer.

Picking up Milton’s option was a smart move by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Since cracking the rotation in 2019-20 and up until last season, Milton has been serviceable. Over that span, Milton has played in 158 games and 21.8 minutes per game. He’s averaged 10.8 points on 8.5 shot attempts per game, shooting 45.1 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from three, 82.2 percent from the free throw line, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists.

None of that is earth-shattering stuff but a guy on a deal that cheap is not supposed to be. Milton provides the Sixers a secondary ball-handler on offense who has a somewhat crafty mid-range game and a knack for getting to the rim. He’s specifically going to his left due to his long arms giving him an advantage to finishing layups. Last year’s playoff loss to the Miami Heat shows that the Sixers still can use Shake Milton’s skillset.

With all that being said, Milton’s biggest asset to the Sixers could be his value in a trade. The Sixers have Daryl Morey at the helm, as he’s known as a wheeler and dealer. The fact that Milton is a 25-year-old combo guard, decent defender, and on a cheap one-year deal makes him valuable to any playoff team that needs extra ball-handling and scoring duties to be taken care of.

What the Philadelphia 76ers have in my mind is all speculation at this point. All that is known is that this is their first move and an eventful offseason is seemingly on the horizon. Time to buckle up and enjoy the chaos.