The Philadelphia 76ers have not made any moves yet with the trade deadline coming in just a few days, but they probably should strike at least one deal. The roster still has some holes that need patching up, one of which is something they could easily address if they dig deep into the market — three-point shooting.
Unfortunately for them, someone else already swooped in to trade for one of the less inexpensive sharpshooters in the game. As reported, the Portland Trail Blazers received Vit Krejci from the Atlanta Hawks for Duop Reath and a couple of second-round picks, giving the former one of the more lethal snipers in the league for basically chump change.
Despite having one of the talented offensive cores in the NBA, the 76ers have not fared as well as they should have been given their potent roster due to their below-average three-point shooting as a collective. That has been the case for them since last season, and if they want to make a deep playoff run, bolstering their prowess in the perimeter is imperative.
The 76ers could have inquired into Vit Krejci on the trade market
The 76ers are in the bottom-half of the league in all three-point shooting metrics from attempts, makes, and conversion rate. As such, they could have at least tried to make a move for Krejci, who was having a career year for the Hawks this season.
The Czech guard has averaged north of nine points per game for Atlanta in the current campaign, draining 2.2 threes a night on 42.3 percent shooting from rainbow country. He has emerged as a solid movement shooter with his uncanny ability to hit threes on the move and move without the ball by relocating constantly to be generate and be on the receiving end of good passing angles.
At 6’8”, he is also one of the lengthiest guards in the league. The 76ers could have greatly benefited from the additional size aside from his stellar three-point shooting.
Sizeable guards who can hit threes on high volume normally cost a lot to get, so the fact that Portland did not have to part with anything of real and immediate value is a huge win for them. As such, it is easy to see this being a missed opportunity for the 76ers front office to snag a highly desirable piece who does not cost an arm and a leg.
The 76ers still have few days to move the needle for a potential game-changer before the trade deadline. Hopefully, the front office can replicate what the Blazers did and find someone who can address some of their most pressing needs without complicating their cap situation.