CAMDEN, NJ — Speaking with the media after the 2023 NBA trade deadline, Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey discussed the lone trade his front office made. The Sixers took part in a four-team trade that netted them Jalen McDaniels and cost them Matisse Thybulle.
While the Sixers also received two future second-round picks and sent one out, the crux of the deal was receiving McDaniels, a young, athletic forward from the Charlotte Hornets that the team hopes can be an upgrade over Thybulle, who will join the Portland Trail Blazers. McDaniels met with head coach Doc Rivers as Morey met with reporters but will be out in the Sixers' Friday matchup against the New York Knicks due to the trade still being processed.
“First of all, I just want to say thank you to Matisse,” Morey said to open the press conference. “Great run here, gave us a lot of great minutes, became a fan favorite and we wish him all the best in Portland. We know he's gonna have a long NBA career.”
After wishing the former Sixer well, Morey pivoted to the newest one, who he said has the potential to become a starter. “A big theme of our season this year was to prepare for the playoffs and the championship, as you guys know. We wanted to make sure we gave Doc as many two-way players as possible,” he said. “And we think Jalen is one of the up-and-coming solid defenders and is somebody that's a little easier to keep on the floor in a lot of matchups. We like what he brings and we're excited.”
McDaniels, who turned 25 years old a week ago, averages 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game this season. The 6-foot-9 wing shoots 44.7 percent from the field, 32.2 percent from deep and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line. His NBA experience to this point has come only on Hornets teams that never came close to being title contenders. To the Sixers, that isn't a massive issue.
“We looked at all options for the team. We really think Jalen's sort of a hidden gem,” Morey said. “Sometimes when teams struggle that much, there are players in there that really just need an opportunity to show what they can do on a better team.”
While Jalen McDaniels is bigger than Matisse Thybulle and has shown more potential on the offensive end, Thybulle's defense made him one of the Sixers' most impactful players. Trading him for McDaniels seems like a lateral move as his role will likely be the same as Thybulle's — use his athleticism to his advantage, play good defense and take open shots. What exactly makes him an upgrade, then?
“I think it's pretty straightforward,” Morey said. “If you're making it harder for the team on offense, I think it makes it harder to keep you on the floor defensively.” While McDaniels' shooting splits are below average, his free-throw percentage suggests he has the potential to be a solid shooter, which Thybulle never consistently was. In 55 games last season, McDaniels shot 38.0 percent from deep.
The Sixers making only one move that cost them a rotation player suggested that they were eager to decrease their payroll and duck the luxury tax, which the McDaniels-Thybulle swap accomplished. Morey addressed those concerns when asked about them.
“The focus was just [to] make the team better. We feel like we did that,” he said. “I think as part of my job, I have to look at the bigger picture. We have a lot of guys we're gonna re-sign and the moves we did both improve the team now and make it easier to keep this team together going forward.”
Jalen McDaniels will be an important piece to a Sixers team desperate to win it all. His performance will have implications not just for himself but for this era of Philadelphia basketball.
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