Report: Sixers trade No. 23 pick to Grizzlies for De’Anthony Melton

The Philadelphia 76ers have traded the No. 23 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to the Memphis Grizzlies for G De’Anthony Melton, per reports. The 76ers are also moving veteran SG Danny Green as part of the deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski.

This isn’t an overly surprising move by the Sixers. We know Philly is in win-now mode and likely doesn’t want to spend a late-round pick on a young player who won’t return much on-court value in the immediate. The Sixers selected David Roddy for the Grizzlies, the Colorado forward. This trade does replace Green, who is out for 2022-23 due to a torn ACL. Melton offers a decent bench guard with some playoff experience from this past year.

The Sixers had a shot to add Kentucky G TyTy Washington Jr. with the pick. A few drafts ago, the Sixers went with UK G Tyrese Maxey and things have paid off well so far. Philly getting out from under Green’s contract, which was going to be dead cap in 2022-23 is a big move. Green was owed $10 million in 2022-23.

Melton is owed just under $10 million in each of the next two seasons. So the Sixers basically replace Green’s salary with Melton and can figure things out after the upcoming season. Melton is only 24 years old and has been a career backup to this point. He’s a decent defender and has some room for improvement at a young age.