Grading 76ers’ hypothetical trade for Wizards’ Tyus Jones

This proposed deal will see the 76ers land a quality contributor for their rotation while giving up two players at the end of their bench along with two second-round draft picks. The expectation in Philadelphia would be that Jones can contribute as a secondary initiator and shooter offensively when playing with the starters, and that he can take more of a lead initiator role when playing with the second unit.

When the team is at full strength, Jones will likely see the bulk of his playing time with the second unit. However, with the health issues the team is currently facing and Tyrese Maxey being forced to carry a heavy burden, Jones will be expected to do more in the short term to reduce the work on Maxey’s plate.

Robert Covington and Kenyon Martin Jr. have played 809 combined minutes this season, so their departures won’t be a significant loss for the 76ers. As pending free agents, they will not require a long-term financial commitment from the Wizards.

A tale of two teams in Philadelphia

In years past, the 76ers in the Joel Embiid era have been a tale of two teams. They have often looked dominant when Embiid is on the court and then looked like a lottery team when he had to take a breather.

Tyrese Maxey’s growth into a star has made the starting unit even better, and the Sixers have added some bench players. However, with Maxey being asked to do more with Embiid out, he is unable to help out the second unit at times, causing the play without Embiid to crater the same way it used to.

The 76ers need help with their second unit. They don’t currently have a capable ball-handler to lead their offense when Maxey is off the court. Guys such as Jaden Springer and Ricky Council IV are intriguing young players, but neither of them profile as lead ball-handlers capable of efficiently initiating an offense.

Springer would need to improve as a ball-handler, and Council IV is too young and inexperienced to be relied upon as an offensive initiator. Council IV has the potential to be a good microwave scorer in the future because of his strength and explosiveness. However, he has a long way to go and needs to improve all aspects of his game before he can focus on becoming more of a facilitator who can efficiently create open looks for others without turning the ball over.

For the Sixers to remain in the playoff race, they must bring in a player who can serve as the lead ball-handler for the second unit to prevent the team from falling off a cliff in non-Maxey minutes. The ideal player would also be capable of playing alongside Maxey to take some of the pressure off of the young point guard.

Jones has 303 assists this year against just 43 turnovers. He knows how to make things happen on offense while protecting the ball, and that is an essential skill for the lead playmaker to have.

To be sure, Jones is not somebody who will be a true needle-mover for the Sixers. This is why it is important not to give up too many assets for a player who will have a role off the bench but will never be a star. The Sixers should keep their premiere trade assets available for a future move, either this summer or at next year’s trade deadline.

Trading away two lower-impact players and second round picks is a fair price to give up for a player who can make meaningful contributions night in and night out and who can stabilize Philly’s second unit.

76ers Grade: A-

The Wizards need to prepare for their future

The Wizards are not competitive this year, and they are going into what will likely be a long rebuilding process. Jones is unlikely to stick around in Washington long enough to be a part of their next competitive core. The Wizards should do what any team entering an extended rebuild process should do: Strip the roster down to its key players and trade away anybody who does not fit into the organization’s long-term plans.

When the Wizards accept that they will not be competitive in the near future, there is no reason to keep players who won’t be part of the team four or five years from now. This is an inefficient way of building a team for several reasons. First, players such as Jones are good enough to contribute towards winning basketball. Unfortunately, teams entering an extended rebuild are not looking to win a few extra games per season. That doesn’t do anything positive for them in the long run and it could actually be counterproductive in the short term, harming their standing in the draft order each season. A couple of wins may not sound like a lot, but moving down two or three slots in the draft order can be the difference between drafting a generational talent and drafting somebody who’s ceiling is making one or two All-Star appearances.

Second, having players such as Jones on your roster who are good enough to contribute but won’t move the needle can prevent a rebuilding team from giving young players the heavy minutes they need to develop. Teams that are rebuilding should be focused on developing young talent as opposed to giving minutes to decent players who are contributors but not quite difference makers.

The prudent move for the Wizards is to deal every player currently on the roster who are not expected to be a part of their next championship team. While they won’t get much for Jones, Robert Covington and Kenyon Martin Jr. can potentially be flipped for additional assets. The two second round picks can be packaged with their own first round pick to move up a few slots if there is a guy they really like, or they can be used to add additional low-cost lottery tickets to their roster.

This isn’t a bad deal, but the Wizards may be able to get a late first from somebody else. Because Covington and Martin Jr. are both free agents at the end of the season, there isn’t much time to flip them. A deal would have to be lined up immediately, and the closer it gets to the deadline the less likely that is to occur. Wizards may be better off asking for another second round pick from Philadelphia instead or looking elsewhere. Still, Washington could do a lot worse than this return package.

Wizards Grade: B-

Why this deal works for both 76ers, Wizards

This is a good deal in that neither team will “lose” this trade. The 76ers will address their needs by adding a player who will contribute this season while the draft picks they are giving up are unlikely to be too consequential.

The Wizards will be adding two expiring contracts and two draft picks that will likely be long shot lottery tickets. If Washington keeps the picks and ends up adding a contributor, they will consider that a nice bonus. Washington will most likely use these picks to add intriguing players that need time to develop, or they could package these picks to move up a few slots in the first round for a player they really like.