The Philadelphia 76ers suddenly became the laughingstock of the league over the last couple of days due to their actuations before the trade deadline. Despite the sound reasoning behind the Jared McCain trade, most people chided the front office for prematurely cutting ties with such a talented prospect for the perceived sake of cutting costs, which Daryl Morey eventually admitted.
It is the lack of a follow-up move, however, that puzzles many at this point. Even those who are fans — or defenders, at the very least — of the McCain trade must be quite frustrated that the front office was unable to at least replace his spot in the rotation. To make matters worse, someone like Jose Alvarado recently hit the trade market, only for him to get snagged by a rival instead.
The Knicks, who were eyeing a more reliable backup point guard to Jalen Brunson due to the increasingly unplayable Jordan Clarkson and the unproven Tyler Kolek, made a sneaky deal before the deadline, swooping in to acquire Alvarado from the reeling Pelicans. New York merely sent some chump change to get his services, which makes this even more of a missed opportunity or the 76ers.
The 76ers should have traded for Jose Alvarado
Philly already had a dearth of natural point guards on the roster, and while McCain is a combo guard who is primarily scoring-oriented, he at least had an idea on how to operate the offense in spurts. Now that he’s gone, it is undeniable that the 76ers are even more handicapped in the playmaking department.
Alvarado is admittedly one of those players whose billing is a tad more sterling whan what his level of play actually is, but he is definitely moe than serviceable as a backup point guard. He is best known for his sneaky tendencies on defense as a pickpocket artist, but he is more than just a pest on that end.
The 27-year-old is a fearless shooter who can be counted on to run the offense capably in spurts. He rarely coughs the ball up while also being a good relocators in the perimeter. As such, he can play with or without the rock, which makes him an especially good fit next to Brunson.
For now, the 76ers are relying on Quentin Grimes, a natural wing, to give them some playmaking boost off the bench. However, that has never been his real game, which makes Alvarado a missed opportunity for this squad. Hopefully, this omission does not end up biting them back in the likely scenario that the 76ers and the Knicks match up in the playoffs.