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The Philadelphia 76ers have landed much needed bench help. A trade with the Golden State Warriors sees the Sixers acquire Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III in exchange for three second-round draft picks, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Warriors receive Dallas Mavericks’ 2020 second-round pick, Denver Nuggets’ 2021 second and Toronto’s 2022 second round selection.
Golden State have been looking to get under the luxury tax. This trade puts them just $488,000 over the tax – they are expected to make more deals before the deadline to address this.
Philadelphia had a catalogue of seconds at their disposal. With very limited trade assets, a smaller deal like this was most likely from Elton Brand. They need to move two players off their roster before they can add Burks and Robinson, however.
It’s no secret that the Sixers are a poor three-point shooting team. The fit with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons is imperfect regardless, but it has been amplified by having very few shooters. None of their starters are over 34.5% from the perimeter. Furkan Korkmaz and Matisse Thybulle are the only players on the roster over 37%. Robinson is at 40% on 3.5 attempts per game, Burks is 37.5% on 4.7 three-point shots per outing.
The volume is as important as the efficiency. Philly rank 21st in three-point percentage, and 23rd in three-point attempts. Simmons being a non-shooter and Embiid needing to work in the post requires players that force the opposition respect them. Burks and Robinson are two players unafraid to pull the trigger from deep.
Burks and Robinson are, crucially, great off the catch, ranking above average in catch-and-shoot three-point opportunities. Robinson has the length to be an effective wing defender, though he ranks poorly in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus. Burks is nothing special on the defensive end, but he provides a ball-handling upgrade over Raul Neto and Trey Burke.
It’s not a blockbuster like the Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler deals in the summer, yet this deal is a good one for the Sixers. They address their most pressing need without compromising their rotation or future first-round selections. It’s a smart move from Brand, a move that helps this team, without banking on a core that has been disappointing this season.
The Warriors should be happy too. They land some picks to help fill out their roster in around Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the coming seasons.
