Landing Seth Curry was one of the better trades in Sixers franchise history

When Daryl Morey first decided to accept the Sixers President gig, he knew he was an entering an organization that needed to undergo some drastic changes. The team’s previous front office structure had done a very below average job building around the likes of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and they were coming off an embarrassing first round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics.

Upon settling in, Morey was quick to act.

Once Al Horford’s massive salary was off the books (a move that still netted the Sixers a very nice piece in Danny Green), Morey honed in on landing the team a proper sharpshooter to pair alongside his two All-Star talents. Acquired via a draft night trade with the Dallas Mavericks, Morey brought Seth Curry to Philly, parting ways with Josh Richardson and a second-round pick in the process.

Before even assessing the on-court improvements that this deal netted the Sixers, it’s worth mentioning that Josh Richardson had already been telling people he didn’t plan on re-signing with Philly after 2021, and was open to a fresh start elsewhere. Richardson was coming off a bad first season with the Sixers and people knew he wanted out – his value was at an all-time low.

However, Dallas was looking for some added defense on the perimeter, so they agreed to essentially swap Cury for JRich, a move that they almost certainly wouldn’t do again if given the chance to. Curry averaged more points and more assists than Richardson this season, while simultaneously posting an eFG% of .582 – .84 points higher than Richardson’s.

Richardson wasn’t even that much better of a defender than Curry in 2020. Their DBPMs (defensive box plus/minus) were almost identical (both were actually negative), and Curry posted a better defensive rating. Part of that can be attributed to Philadelphia having a better defensive unit overall, but the point stands nevertheless. The Sixers didn’t miss Richardson’s defensive “abilities” in the slightest.

The Sixers’ acquisition of Seth Curry was an all-time great move.

Box score statistics aside for the moment, what was really special about this Curry trade was the effect it had on Joel Embiid’s game. Embiid obviously performed at an MVP caliber level this season, and the added floor spacing he had around him undoubtedly played a big role. Teams weren’t able to collapse on Embiid as aggressively due to the threat that Curry (and Green) posed on the perimeter.

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Unlike Richardson, Curry is also under team control for another few seasons. He isn’t set to hit free agency until 2023, and his cap number won’t exceed $8.49 million during that time period. A super affordable salary for one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA.

It’s unknown if the addition of Curry will help propel the Sixers to the NBA Finals, but they’ve already finished atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2001 – a drastic improvement compared to last season.

When looking at some of the best trade deals in Sixers’ franchise history, the Curry acquisition would probably rank up towards the top. Maybe not top 10 quite yet (we’ll see how the rest of his Philly career plays out), but top 15? Top 20?

It’s definitely up there.

Next. Phillies rumors: Trading for Joey Gallo would be about 2022. dark

Regardless of how the postseason plays out, Morey traded an expiring contract and a second-round pick for a guy who finished this season with the sixth best 3P% in the NBA. That’s simply exceptional.