Philadelphia has been looking for a wing player to add to the roster this summer. They were swinging for the fences, but Paul George stayed in Oklahoma City, LeBron James went to Los Angeles, and the Spurs are slow playing the Kawhi Leonard trades waiting for a better offer.
So the Sixers went another direction and traded for Wilson Chandler from Denver. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news.
Denver has traded Wilson Chandler and a draft consideration to the 76ers, league sources tell ESPN. Chandler will be absorbed into the Sixers space.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2018
For Denver, this was all about the money. They now can go ahead with the four-year, $54 million Will Barton extension and pay less of a price.
Trading Wilson Chandler to Philadelphia will save Denver $50M in combined salary and luxury tax. The Nuggets tax bill now drops from $51.3M to $14.3M. The $12.8M Chandler contract can be traded immediately without any restrictions because Philadelphia acquired him with room.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 3, 2018
For the Sixers, they use up most of their cap space and get a workmanlike player who can fill a role. Chandler averaged more than 30 minutes a game last season, scored 10 points a night, and shot 35.8 percent from three. At age 31 his efficiency has started to dip, his defense isn’t what it once was (injuries played a role in that), but he’s a solid role player who can help them out on the court.
Plus, as Philly keeps looking for a home run, Chandler can be part of a trade for Leonard or another star.
This is not the move the Sixers fan base wants, it’s not exciting and challenging, but it’s not a disaster. It’s just solid.