NBA Trade: Philadelphia 76ers to acquire Dario Saric from Orlando Magic
By Brad Rowland
In what appeared to be a surprising move, the Philadelphia 76ers selected former Louisiana-Lafayette point guard Elfrid Payton with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. However, it appears as if Payton’s stay in the City of Brotherly Love will be a short one, as he has reportedly been traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for the rights to Croatian big man Dario Saric.
The Magic will take Dario Saric at 12, but are likely to trade him to the Sixers for the rights to Elfrid Payton, per league source.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) June 27, 2014
At first glance, this seems to be an odd move, but there could be more to the deal.
Appears Philly will get be getting back the 2017 1st Orlando got in the Howard deal, per sources.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 27, 2014
The specifics of the compensation are fully undisclosed at this point, but Philadelphia has been linked to Saric throughout the process, and their interest isn’t much of a surprise. The 76ers would seemingly leave the draft with both Joel Embiid and Dario Saric on their roster, even with the fact that neither would be ready to play when the 2014-2015 season begins.
On the side of the Orlando Magic, they acquire the point guard in Elfrid Payton that they have been reportedly desiring. Orlando has a stockpile of assets on the wing and up front, but with Payton in the fold alongside Victor Oladipo, the Magic roster begins to take a more realistic shape for the future.