Philadelphia 76ers: Lu Dort is the wrong OKC Thunder trade target

On May 19th, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report attempted to quickly fix the 2022 NBA playoff’s biggest losers with a series of moves in an article called “Quick Fixes for 2022 NBA Playoff’s Biggest Losers.”

Though the title of said story was rather on the nose, his idea regarding the Philadelphia 76ers was decidedly less so, as he suggested that Daryl Morey should offer up a package of Matisse Thybulle and the team’s 2022 first-round pick – assuming Brooklyn doesn’t take it – for Lu Dort, the 23-year-old 3-and-D Canadian wing who currently calls Oklahoma City home.

On paper, the idea sort of makes sense. Dort is a much better offensive player than Thybulle, and his energy is more junkyard dog than ‘steal like an artist,’ so his vibe certainly fits into the new mentality Joel Embiid would like to cultivate moving forward, but for that price, well, is swapping out a 6-foot-5 wing who can’t shoot all that well for an even smaller two-way player who certainly won’t get 14.2 attempts per game, is a career 33.3 shooter from 3, and will likely ask for a much richer contract as soon as next season worth it?

I mean, think about the lineup construction alone; who plays where? Is Dort a 6-foot-3 small forward next to 6-foot-2 Tyrese Maxey and 6-foot-5 James Harden, or does “The Beard” have to duke it out with much taller frontcourt players all the darn day? And what about Tobias Harris? He’s already an undersized power forward, and having to deal with an even smaller starting lineup will only exasperate that discrepancy, especially against teams the like Toronto Raptors, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Boston Celtics.

Hmm… will the Sixers have to play against those teams at any point in the not too distant future?

So, for as fun as it would be to see Lu Dort play for the Philadelphia 76ers this fall, such a deal creates more issues than it solves and could cost a good bit both via trade and an eventual contract extension. Fortunately, Daryl Morey doesn’t have to look too far to a much better-fitting player, as one of Dort’s teammates would look very good starting for the Sixers this fall at small forward, and he likely won’t cost nearly as much to acquire.

The Philadelphia 76ers should set their sights on Kenrich Williams.

Kenrich Williams might just be the best value player in the NBA.

Originally signed as a UDFA out of TCU by the New Orleans Pelicans back in 2018, Williams was traded to the OKC Thunder as part of the Jrue Holiday/Eric Bledsoe/Steven Adams deal back in 2020 and agreed to a new three-year, $6 million extension in the process.

Since then, Williams has consistently been one of the better defensive players in the Western Conference, with a Defensive RAPTOR rating just .2 points lower than Matisse Thybulle, according to FiveThirtyEight. While some will scoff at his 3 point shooting numbers, as he’d made just 34.6 percent of the 2.5 attempts per game he’s put up as a pro, Williams supplements that with good rebounding for a small forward, change-of-pace ball-handling abilities, and elite passing efficiency numbers, as his assist-to-pass percentage of 9.5 is very good for a player who only averages 32.1 touches per game.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that Williams is only 27 and has an efficiency differential of
+13.8, which ranks in the 98th percentile according to Cleaning the Glass? Goodness, talk about a perfect fit for the Philadelphia 76ers’ current timeline.

Mind you, if you were glued to the trade rumors back in February, you probably recall seeing Williams’ name more than a few times, including on this very blog. He was one of the top names on the second-tier trade market, and the OKC Thunder were reportedly willing to deal him too, but apparently, no team was willing to surrender the first-round pick Sam Presti reportedly requested for the fourth-year player’s services.

Now in the last year of a contract that is severely undervalued, will the Thunder be willing to move off of Williams at a slightly lower price, say a young player and some second-round picks? If so, the Sixers need to be the team who wins the “Kenny Hustle sweepstakes.”

With Danny Green likely out for the entire 2022-23 NBA season, Williams could immediately slot into the Sixers’ starting small forward spot. His presence on the roster could free the team up to move Thybulle in another deal, or Doc Rivers could instead opt to stagger the duo’s minutes to guarantee that there is always a plus defensive wing on the court, which wasn’t always the case in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Pair Williams up with a big-time free agent shooter like Bryn Forbes, Ben McLemore, or Malik Monk, and the Sixers could suddenly have a much more balanced roster with more compatible combinations than in 2021-22.

Because of the Philadelphia 76ers’ current situation, they really don’t have that many ways to upgrade their roster. They have the MLE, a $1.67 million trade exception, and a few moveable draft picks, sure, but gone are the days of a seemingly bottomless war chest of assets collected dragon-style by Sam Hinkie. No, to take a step forward, the Sixers really need to hope some of their singles hop over the outfield fence and produce “free” value added to a potential deal. Trading for a criminally underrated player like Kenrich Williams and his $2 million contract unquestionably fits that bill and could go down as a Josh Richardson-for-Seth Curry level come up even if it costs a player like Isaiah Joe or – preferably – Furkan Korkmaz and a second-rounder to get a deal done.