Can Javale McGee Have An Impact In Philadelphia?

The Denver Nuggets continued dumping salary by trading oft-injured big man Javale McGee to the Philadelphia 76ers. The deal looks like this:

McGee is the only one that has ever suited up for an NBA game. He gives the Sixers much needed size in the middle. The pairing of him and Nerlens Noel in the Philadelphia frontcourt is very enticing. Provided the two of them can stay healthy, of course. Both have battled some nasty injuries in their brief NBA tenures.

This deal helps out the value of Javale McGee immensely. There is a strong possibility that he and Noel start side by side right away. If that happens, McGee is worth adding in every category league because of his defensive prowess. He is huge on the glass, and blocks a lot of shots. He is offensively challenged, but he won’t hurt you much either. He has a little less value in points leagues, but I would still add him in any league with 12 or more teams. Those of you in standard points leagues should keep a close eye on his first couple of games, and pounce on him quickly if he plays well. You can always drop him later.

The losers in this deal are Henry Sims and Jerami Grant. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute also stands to lose some minutes because the team is committed to Robert Covington at SF. If you had picked up Grant because of his recent hot streak, you can likely drop him now in all but deep leagues. The same goes for Sims. He likely won’t even be a deep league option anymore.

Mbah a Moute is still worth hanging on to in deep leagues. He will likely see enough minutes to help you out, and he would be the first one back into big minutes if the Noel-McGee tandem fails or one of them gets hurt. Both are distinct possibilities.

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There are two wild cards in this deal, and neither one of them are very well known because they have never suited up in the NBA.

Chukwudiebere Maduabum was originally drafted by the Lakers in 2011. He has actually played in the D-League three times, and in the Summer League once, so he does have a little bit of experience playing in the United States. He is currently playing professionally in Estonia, but he has never put up numbers worthy of investing time or energy in him. He is only 23 years old, so there is an outside chance of him making it to the NBA eventually, but it likely won’t be with the Sixers. They are already overflowing with young talent.

Cenk Akyol was originally drafted by the Atlanta Hawks way back in 2005. The 27 year old has never been brought stateside because frankly, he hasn’t been worth buying out. Akyol’s rights have now been dealt three times in the last two years after Atlanta owned them for nine years. There is a strong chance that he will never play in the NBA.

So why is he in the deal? And why does it seem like Denver is getting nothing? Because they are getting nothing. Akyol’s rights are only included because the NBA rules stipulate that something must change hands between both teams, be it money, players, or rights to a player. What it comes down to is that McGee’s albatross of a salary forced the Nuggets to pay a first round pick to get rid of it. The Sixers are below the salary floor, which means that they would have had to spend the money no matter what. Basically the Sixers got a first round pick for free. And hey, maybe McGee pans out after all. There was no room for him in Denver, be it salary or otherwise. Who says tanking doesn’t pay off? It just did for Philly in ways most teams can’t imagine.

The Sixers could actually end up with three first round picks in the June draft. The one from Miami is top ten protected. Miami is certain to do better than that, so they will have that one and their own. The one that they got to take on McGee’s contract is Oklahoma City’s top 18 protected pick. It seems certain that Philadelphia will end up with that one too. Now, if they only hadn’t traded Michael Carter-Williams……

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Fantasy Basketball: Can Javale McGee Have An Impact In Philadelphia?

By Mike Marteny | Feb 20, 2015