With the Sixers firmly in “Win Now” mode following the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, it’s no secret that the team needs to bolster its bench. The topic has been discussed by everyone from the random egg on Twitter to head coach Brett Brown in last night’s post-game press conference.
At the very least, it would appear Philadelphia general manager Elton Brand is making inquiries. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports that one such inquiry concerns New York Knicks big man Noah Vonleh.
Sixers have expressed interest in Knicks forward Noah Vonleh, according to a source.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) January 16, 2019
Vonleh has been one of the success stories of New York’s “give another shot to former lottery picks” strategy. Understandably, as they race full steam ahead for the lottery, the Knicks will look to recoup something for him before he reaches unrestricted free agency this summer.
The 6’9” former Indiana Hoosier is in the midst of a career year, averaging 8.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game. Vonleh has a career-best true shooting percentage of 57.5%, including hitting 41.1% of his 3-point attempts (on a modest 2.1 attempts per game). Also sporting a career-best 2.1 Defensive Box Plus/Minus, he is a reasonably agile defender for someone who can alternate between the power forward and center positions.
Vonleh is on a 1-year, $1.62 million deal with the Knicks, with a cap hit of just $1.51M. Given the low cap figure, trying to match salaries is not an arduous task like it would be for someone like Jeremy Lin. Therefore, making any deal work between the two clubs would be focused around reaching an agreement on what draft asset(s) would make for a fair return.
A second-round pick would probably be an easy decision from the Sixers’ perspective. If the Knicks drew a hard line at a first-round pick, though, would you do the deal? Vote below.
Poll
Would you trade the Sixers’ 2019 1st round pick for Noah Vonleh?
This poll is closed
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14%
Yes
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81%
No, too steep a price
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4%
No, no interest in Vonleh