Philadelphia 76ers: Revisiting the astounding Seth Curry trade

Once upon a time, the Dallas Mavericks found a diamond in the rough by the name of Seth Curry.

The younger brother of Steph and the son of Dell, Seth broke into the league as a UDFA in 2013, where he played for two different NBA teams over his rookie season. After spending his 2014-15 season in Pheonix and his 2015-16 season in Sacramento, Curry latched on with the Mavs for his fourth professional season and burst onto the scene in a big way.

How big? I’m talking 12.8 points per game while draining 42.5 percent of his 4.6 3 pointers per game.

Even though Curry missed his second season with the Mavs with a left tibia fracture, surely the addition of Curry was a boon for Rick Carlisle‘s club, so it makes sense that his GM, Donnie Nelson, would allow him to sign with the Portland Trail Blazers when his two-year contract came to an end.

But hey, it’s cool. Curry’s following season was also limited via injury, and he re-signed with the team that made him… at least until they traded him to Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers for Josh Richardson and a second-round pick used on Tyler Bey.

So, on Seth’s 31st birthday, why not look back at one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory and appreciate just how great it is to have a Curry Brother on the team.

Seth Curry has been a year-long birthday gift for the Philadelphia 76ers.

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As absolutely crazy as it sounds in hindsight, there is some logic to the Dallas Mavericks trading Seth Curry to the Philadelphia 76ers. After dropping their playoff series to Doc Rivers’ Los Angeles Clippers the season prior due to an inability to lock things down on the defensive end of the court, Dallas wanted to add size, grit, and defense around their burgeoning young Slovenian star.

Factor in Josh Richardson’s reputation as a capable secondary ball-handler – who could pair up nicely with Luca Doncic – and the 36th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, which was eventually used on Tyler Bey, and the Mavericks clearly felt that they could get better at the expense of a one-way sharpshooter with limitless range from beyond the arc.

Fast forward one year into the future, and Seth Curry is one of the Philadelphia 76ers’ five best players, Tyler Bey finished out a sleepy rookie season with the Dallas Mavericks, and Josh Richardson just inked a two-year extension with the Boston Celtics after being acquired for Moses Brown this offseason.

I know it’s supposed to take a few years to adequately judge any trade for the sake of context, but does that still hold true when the marquee addition leaves the team after one underwhelming season?

In my book, this is a big, bold W for Daryl Morey.

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In a way, it almost feels mean to revisit said trade on Seth Curry’s birthday. Though Rick Carlisle and his general manager are both gone- could this be part of the reason for that? – the Dallas Mavericks were so desperate for shooting down the stretch last season that they traded for a washed J. J. Redick, despite his very public desire to return to the East Coast and play for a New York-adjacent market. Maybe the free agent addition of Reggie Bullock will help with the team’s spacing woes, but do you know who the Mavs could really use right about now? Curry on a four-year deal worth $32 million. Unfortunately, they traded him away to the Philadelphia 76ers for a player they no longer have and a player who never started a game in 2020-21. Hopefully, Tyler Bey becomes a player; otherwise… ugh.