Mock Trade Moves Shake Milton to Timberwolves
The Philadelphia 76ers had an important decision to make on Shake Milton a few weeks back. As the option deadline approached, the Sixers had an opportunity to either accept or decline Milton's $1.9 million team option for the 2022-2023 season.
Initially, it was reported that the 76ers intended to decline the option, which would've sent Milton into free agency early. However, that wasn't the case.
The Sixers picked up Milton's option. Now, he'll play the 2022-2023 season in Philly and is on pace to become an unrestricted free agent next year.
While Milton's technically under contract with the 76ers for next year doesn't mean the Sixers are entitled to keep him. Typically, teams tend to shop around players on the final year of their contract to add value in exchange for the prospect rather than losing them for nothing.
It's unclear if the Sixers are shopping Milton, but the backup guard certainly isn't untouchable on the roster. Therefore, Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley put together a list of a few trades that might work out for the Sixers — and one includes sending Shake Milton to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Hypothetical Trade
In this scenario, the Sixers would simply trade Milton to the Timberwolves. In exchange, the 76ers would land the veteran center, Naz Reid.
"During the playoffs, the Sixers won Embiid's 385 minutes by 28 points. Conversely, they lost the 196 minutes he didn't play by 24 points. Granted, every team will inevitably lose steam when its best player sits, but the Sixers need some stability behind the big fella.
…
If the Sixers want a more established option, maybe they could pluck Reid out of a suddenly crowded Timberwolves frontcourt."
Reid joined the Timberwolves in 2019 after going undrafted. Similar to Milton, Reid started his NBA career on a two-way contract. Although he spent time in the NBA G League, Reid appeared in 30 games with the Wolves during his rookie season.
The following year, Reid started in a career-high of 15 games while appearing in 70 matchups. His sophomore effort was his best, as he put up 11 points in 19 minutes per game. He also came down with nearly five rebounds per game.
Last year, Reid appeared in a career-high of 77 games and averaged eight points in 15 minutes on the court. Currently, the Sixers have several home-grown prospects that could earn time behind Joel Embiid during the regular season in Paul Reed, Charles Bassey, and even the European stash, Filip Petrusev.
But if the Sixers don't feel confident in one of those guys, perhaps they'll look to make a move via free agency or the trade market to find their big guy an ideal backup.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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