NBA Draft 2018: 76ers take Zhaire Smith at No. 16
The Phoenix Suns have selected Zhaire Smith with the 16th pick and traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers for Mikal Bridges. This is a great move that works well for both teams.
The Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers have shaken up the middle of the draft with another trade, as Phoenix took Zhaire Smith and will send him to the Sixers with a future first-round pick for the No. 10 pick, Mikal Bridges. The move swaps one of the draft’s safest picks with one of its most intriguing potential upside swings.
For the Sixers, Smith is the perfect player to swing for the fences with on their roster. He represents a modern-style switching wing, someone who can guard wings and guards on the perimeter and shows the potential to play small-ball five thanks to his skills as a cutter and screener. He’s one of the smarter players in this year’s draft class, and while he doesn’t show great skill level just yet, he’s pretty young for the class, and he has a lot of intriguing quirks to his game. The 76ers can throw him in as a nominal one on defense, and then have him play the four while Ben Simmons runs the offense.
For the Suns, the deal lands them one of the safest picks in the draft. Bridges is a plug-and-play 3-and-D wing, and his handle is strong enough that he should be able to act as a secondary ball-handler as well. He’s a great foil to Devin Booker, and you can never have too many wings in the modern NBA. Phoenix now has three who should be starter-caliber at the least in Bridges, Booker, and Josh Jackson, last year’s fourth overall pick. He’s a high-floor prospect who hedges against the wide range of outcomes that top overall pick Deandre Ayton presents.