Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers were having trade discussions involving sharpshooter Kyle Korver and point guard Jerryd Bayless. After the departure of Marco Belinelli and failing to sign Nemanja Bjelica, the potential acquisition of Korver will be beneficial for the 76ers, enabling them to bring back a fan favorite who has championship experience in the City of Brotherly Love.
Also, it will help them address the logjam at their backcourt by getting rid of Jerryd Bayless, whom they have tried to trade for a year. Unfortunately, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that the rumored deal between the Cavaliers and the 76ers is possible, but still far from becoming a reality.
“A trade sending Cleveland’s Kyle Korver to Philadelphia in exchange for Jerryd Bayless is ‘possible’ but also ‘far from certain,’ according to one league source briefed on the talks.”
Despite Stein’s report, most people still expect the deal to happen this offseason. Now that LeBron James is gone, Kyle Korver no longer has a reason to stay in Cleveland. At 37, it will be best for Korver to join a team like the 76ers, who are expected to be a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference next season. Korver will surely love the idea of spending his remaining years in the league on a team where he started his NBA career.
Sources: #Sixers discuss moving Jerryd Bayless for Kyle Korver, agree to three-way deal for Mike Muscala https://t.co/sOjpqQkzjw via @phillydotcom
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) July 20, 2018
Though he is no longer in his prime, Kyle Korver could still be a reliable contributor to the 76ers on both ends of the floor, especially to their second unit. Korver could give them an accurate shooter who could provide a veteran presence in the locker room. In the 73 games he played last season, Korver averaged 9.2 points on 45.9 percent shooting from the field, and 43.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The acquisition of Jerryd Bayless doesn’t make sense for the Cavaliers since they already gave Collin Sexton and George Hill to play as point guards next season. However, it is worth noting that Bayless’ contract will expire after the 2018-19 NBA season, which will give the Cavaliers additional salary cap space to chase their target free agents in the summer of 2019.
To convince the Cavaliers to make a deal, Matt Haughton of NBC Sports believes the 76ers will need to attach a future draft pick in the potential trade package they will send to Cleveland for Kyle Korver. The Sixers are unlikely to give up a first-round pick, but they could offer multiple second-round selections to the Cavaliers.
