Welcome to Philly, De’Anthony Melton

The Philadelphia 76ers have selected Da—, actually, they have traded the 23rd overall pick to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Sixers traded for former Memphis Grizzlie De’Anthony Melton. Along with the 23rd overall pick, the Sixers traded away Danny Green. 

The initial reaction amongst a lot of Sixers fans was “They did Danny wrong.” This may be true, but we have a championship to win. We aren’t going to put our team in jeopardy for the sake of Danny Green’s feelings. He is definitely aging and would be out for the majority, if not all, of the season next year. That being said, Danny was great in Philadelphia not only as a player but also as a person. He certainly had frustrating performances in his two-year career with the Sixers. Even so, people forget that he is tied for the most three’s ever made in a single game as a Sixer. For everything that you’ve done for our team and our city, thank you, Danny Green. 

Looking ahead now to next season, let’s take a look at who the Sixers got in return. De’Anthony Melton is a player that has seemed to get better every season. Unlike Danny Green, Melton is a younger player in the league. Being drafted in 2018, Melton is only 24 years old.

His main specialty is his shooting ability. Last season, he averaged 10.1 points per game on nearly two three-pointers a game. He isn’t anywhere near an All-Star, but Sixers fans should accept him with welcome arms. 

He will be a great backup behind Harden and Maxey and will provide the shooting that the Sixers will need off the bench.

With this trade, the Sixers managed to keep Matisse Thybulle. However, he may not be here forever. As it is right now, the Sixers starting lineup would be Tyrese Maxey, James Harden, Matisse Thybulle, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid. Coming off the bench would be De’Anthony Melton, Shake Milton, Georges Niang, and Furkan Korkmaz.

With the potential signing of PJ Tucker and a few other free agents, the Sixers could be a much more complete team next year.

This trade is without a doubt, a “W trade” as fans would say.

The Sixers do not have any more picks in the 2022 draft as of right now.