There’s been a lot of chatter leading up to the NBA draft surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers and their 23rd overall. Whether or not the Sixers would keep or deal the selection was a consistent point of the club’s offseason news.
Now that decision has been made by the 76ers front and they decide to trade the pick and Danny Green for De’Anthony Melton of the Memphis Grizzlies, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Noah Levick of NBCSPhily.com. The Sixers needed to improve their bench scoring and Melton certainly addresses that concern.
The Philadelphia 76ers acquire Melton from the Grizzlies for the 23rd pick.
The Grizzlies do this trade to draft David Roddy of Colorado State. They also have a plethora of guards prior to this deal with the likes of Melton, Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Tyus Jones, Dillon Brooks, and Sam Merrill. It seems unlikely that Green will stay on the Grizzlies for the long-term but only time will tell.
That being written, the Sixers get a player in Melton who can be this club’s, clear-cut sixth man. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is a bit undersized, however, his skills as a scorer can’t be understated. Last season, Melton averaged a career-high 10.8 points on 37.4 percent shooting from the 3-point line.
Melton is a quick-twitch athlete who can create offense for himself and play off the ball as well. He should be able to play off James Harden or Tyrese Maxey very well. He could also play alongside Shake Milton as well.
This was an unexpected trade by the Sixers but it was a good one by the club’s president of basketball operations Daryl Morey. Morey’s first move in the draft landed Philly a quality sixth man.