The Philadelphia 76ers have not been actively linked to any trade candidate so far, but one player who was basically perfect for them was Pelicans wing Herb Jones. One of the most highly sought commodities in the NBA, the one-time All-Defensive Team member would have elevated their collective ceiling on defense and bolstered their chances of real title contention.
Well, consider that dream trade scenario dead now. New Orleans, despite sitting with the worst record in the league, is reportedly not intentionally looking to conduct a fire sale before the deadline. As such, they are said to have set a pretty steep asking price for their trade candidates, such as Jones, who is said to command not only a young talent in return, but also a couple of first-round picks.
Given that kind of price tag, the 76ers never really had a chance to land Jones. In fact, this is probably going to set a precedent for some of the tier-two players available for trades this season, and this will only turn the front office away from pursuing high-profile players on the transaction tables.
The 76ers never stood a chance to trade for Herb Jones
Philadelphia is not necessarily lacking in assets to move the needle for someone of Jones’ caliber. After all, they do have young, desirable commodities of their own, a handful of salary matchers, and a considerable amount of draft picks to dangle away in a trade.
However, to throw away not one, but two first-rounders for Jones who, despite being a proven three-and-D cog, is not exactly of the irreplicable kind, would be a tough proposition to digest. First-round picks have become more valuable than before due to the new CBA rules, and multiple of those can only be justifiably disposed for fringe to actual All-Star level talents.
Had the asking price been a single first-rounder and a young talent — which would likely be Jared McCain for the 76ers — alongside salary matchers, trading for Jones would have been fathomable. Despite the Pelicans immensely struggling in the last couple of years, he has remained one of the toughest defenders in the league.
For now, Philly would have to settle for its in-house options. Fortunately for them, their defense has already taken a significant leap, closing in on the top-10 after being one of the worst point-preventing units last season. Of course, Herb Jones would have helped them enormously, but at that cost, they would have stripped themselves of flexibility to maneuver for the future.