NBA rumors: Knicks' Embiid offer nixed, Grizzlies reinforcements, Sixers breakup
- The Grizzlies add Bismack Biyombo to sure up center depth
- Jalen McDaniels spurned Sixers' minimum contract offer in free agency
- Knicks' trade offer for Joel Embiid not taken seriously
NBA Rumors: Jalen McDaniels left 76ers for Raptors for more money
The Philadelphia 76ers' offseason featured the loss of several key rotation pieces. One such rotation piece was Jalen McDaniels, who signed with the Toronto Raptors on a two-year, $9.3 million contract. McDaniels played 24 regular season games for the Sixers after the trade deadline, averaging 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds on .488/.400/.824 splits in 17.5 minutes.
Toronto played host to Philadelphia on Saturday, Before the game, McDaniels spoke appreciatively of his time in the City of Brotherly Love.
"It was a fun time, being on the court with superstars stuff like that," he told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It was just a whole different vibe."
However, when asked about what the Sixers offered him to stay, McDaniels was honest.
"It was just like a minimum-type thing. Yeah, I couldn’t do that, you know?”
Philadelphia gave up Matisse Thybulle to acquire McDaniels and a couple second-round picks, so there was a real investment in the 25-year-old. At the end of the day, however, Daryl Morey's master plan is not difficult to decipher. The Sixers are angling to enter the 2024 offseason with enough cap space for two max contracts. Only a select handful of players on the roster are under guaranteed contract beyond this season.
McDaniels didn't fit the Sixers' plans, financially or otherwise. There's natural interest in 6-foot-9 wings with McDaniels' blend of athleticism, defensive activity, and 3-point shooting, but he was often more theoretically good than actually good. Inconsistency with his jumper and his defensive approach made him difficult to trust once the playoffs arrived.
He should get a longer leash in Toronto.