3 76ers on the Trade Block This Offseason
By Cem Yolbulan
De'Anthony Melton
Similarly to Tobias Harris, Melton also has an expiring contract, which means that he can't be on the trade block. However, he is also a leading sign-and-trade candidate for the Sixers.
The 26-year-old shooting guard had an injury-riddled 2023-24 campaign. He only appeared in 38 games and struggled immensely from the field, only hitting 38.6% of his shots. Yet, he is still a valuable role player who should receive plenty of interest in the open market.
Melton is a good defender who can guard multiple positions. He is an active help defender who gets a ton of deflections, steals, and blocks. Offensively, he is better suited for an off-ball role, hitting open shots and attacking closeouts when needed.
The Sixers will likely have other priorities in free agency. Re-signing Kelly Oubre Jr, convincing Nicolas Batum to play another season, and making sure Buddy Hield and Kyle Lowry return on reasonable deals might be more important for general manager Daryl Morey. This could make Melton superfluous.
Melton was making $8 million last season. He could get all the way up to an eight-figure salary next season but there aren't too many teams with cap space who can give him that. Instead, they could engage in a sign-and-trade scenario with the Sixers where Philadelphia gets a better-fitting player in return.
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