Grade the Trade: Thunder send Giddey to East contender in polarizing four-team mock deal
The Dunc'd On Mock Trade Deadline lays out a Giddey deal
Longtime NBA writer Dan Feldman was in control of the Philadelphia 76ers in the Mock Deadline, and he was in search of players who could help the Sixers win this season (note that this podcast was recorded prior to Embiid's knee surgery, although he and the team are still optimistic that he will return for the playoffs). At the same time, Feldman (seeking to represent the real-world priorities of Philadelphia) was looking for players who had a low cap-hold or salary this summer to preserve the 76ers' flexibility.
That's what led to a trade offer for Oklahoma City's Josh Giddey. He could play a "point forward" role alongside Tyrese Maxey, who is lethal off-ball given his shooting, and his ability to send entry passes to Embiid on a rope would be an ideal fit with the MVP center. The issue with such a deal would be that the 76ers, as another contending team, don't have lottery-team assets to entice the Thunder.
That's where a third team came into the mix. Note that the actual deal ended up with four teams, as the Phoenix Suns were involved to help the money work, but as far as assets we can evaluate the deal as a three-teamer. Here is what it looked like:
Giddey - Keldon 4-team trade
The San Antonio Spurs get a pair of first-round picks back in exchange for moving on from Keldon Johnson and taking on the light guarantee that Bertans has for next season ($5.25 million). With Jeremy Sochan looking like the ideal fit next to Victor Wembanyama the Spurs likely need to upgrade on Keldon Johnson for their other forward spot; he hasn't been consistently starting and is likely not a part of their future core.
We discussed why the 76ers wanted Giddey. Would the Thunder make this deal? Kevin Pelton of ESPN, representing the Thunder in the Mock Deadline exercise, made the trade. Would Sam Presti do the same?