The Philadelphia 76ers have struck a deal to improve their shooting, acquiring forward Ersan Ilyasova from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Jerami Grant and a future draft pick, according to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Philadelphia has traded Jerami Grant to OKC, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) November 1, 2016
OKC sends Ersan Ilyasova and a conditional future pick to the Sixers, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) November 1, 2016
The future pick that goes to Philadelphia from OKC is protected 1-20. 76ers will get a first if it falls between 21-30. https://t.co/QbpdCyzLNY
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) November 1, 2016
Wojnarowski also reports that the Thunder have been pursuing Grant for quite some time now, so the Sixers need for perimeter shooting made it a good deal for both sides. Both Robert Covington and Gerald Henderson are off to bad starts and Dario Saric has also struggled to kick-off his NBA career. Ilyasova will provide the Sixers with a stretch four to work with both Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid.
Ilyasova will become an unrestricted free agent after the season, but he should provide some short-term relief on the shooting end of things. Ilyasova shot 37.1 percent from beyond the arc last season and is a career 36.9 percent shooter from the three-point range. CSNPhilly's Jessica Camerato reports that the team plans to keep Ilyasova. He is set to make $8.4 million this season.
“This is a unique deal that allows us to address both short term needs and longer term goals at the same time," Colangelo said through an official team release. "Ersan will bring us much needed perimeter shooting, floor spacing and roster balance, while the acquisition of a future pick or picks should continue to drive our ability to generate future roster building options.”
“On behalf of the entire organization, I want to thank Jerami for his valuable contributions to our team and for always being the respectable and classy professional that he is.”
Grant, 22, averaged 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 144 contests during his Sixers career. While his ability to get to the rim and defend was strong, his average offensive game was something that just hadn't developed. Since Grant is under team control beyond this season and makes significantly less than Ilyasova – $980,000 to be exact – Oklahoma City also included a draft pick in the trade since Philadelphia was taking on a lot more money.
