Why the 76ers should not trade for Luke Kennard
Finagling players who won’t be on the roster for long and paying draft capital for such is always risky, especially when that player’s role is intended as a complement for when the team is at full strength and needing only marginal upgrades. The 76ers are definitely not in that situation, as Joel Embiid could very well miss the rest of the season despite optimistic bits from Philly’s brass.
Kennard’s contract situation is an ideal one to absorb, even at the cost of a draft pick (the 76ers have another second-rounder this year anyway). However, pegging him as the rightful deadline acquisition seems like a concession.
His three-point shooting aside, Kennard offers little elsewhere. He’s not someone who can create his own shot — an instant misfit amid the 76ers’ urgent need for one. His defense is serviceable at best — a flaring red flag for a team already struggling on that end recently on the heels of an injured supporting cast.
Most glaringly, Kennard has always struggled at staying on the floor. He’s already missed almost half of the games this season, and history suggests he wouldn’t be deemed an iron man anytime soon. Trading for him would be quite the paradox with the 76ers needing someone who can also help them out in the health department by not being on the injury report on a nightly basis.
Add those to the fact that Philadelphia has a more pressing need to mend (i.e. the imperative call to trade for a big man as an Embiid fill-in), and trading for Luke Kennard suddenly becomes more of an unnecessary addition, especially when he’s not coming in to be a fix anyway.
Grade: B