The deal
76ers get: Zhaire Smith (No. 16 overall pick), 2021 first-round pick (via Miami)
Suns get: Mikal Bridges (No. 10 pick)
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Phoenix Suns: D
I explained earlier Thursday why the Dallas Mavericks' trade for Luka Doncic was the exception to my dislike of moving up in the draft. This deal looks much more like the rule. In order to move up six picks, the Suns are giving up an unprotected Miami first-round pick in 2021 with substantial upside to be just as high as the No. 10 pick they acquired.
Both of the picks Phoenix traded originate from the deal sending Goran Dragic to the Heat at the 2015 trade deadline. Back then, the unprotected 2021 pick looked like the jewel of the return, and that remains the case. Miami does have the potential to retool in the summer of 2020, when contracts for Dragic, Tyler Johnson and Hassan Whiteside all expire, but the Heat currently have $40 million sunk into James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk and Dion Waiters that season. So if Miami is unable to land a max-level free agent, it's entirely possible the Heat could find themselves in the lottery.
The 2021 pick is also intriguing because of the possibility the NBA floated last week (as reported by Zach Lowe) that the age limit could change then, which would create an unprecedented draft with both the one-and-done prospects unable to enter the league the previous season and the high schoolers suddenly eligible for the draft. While there's no guarantee a change happens then, I would have been especially reluctant to part with a 2021 pick right now -- particularly to move up just six spots.
In terms of the average value provided by the two picks above and beyond their salary during their first two contracts, I estimate the difference between the 16th pick and the 10th pick as about $4 million in value. A completely fair trade up, then, would also send something like the 36th overall pick. Even if we discount the 2021 pick to some extent because it's three years away, Miami would have to be championship contenders to make this look like a fair trade from that standpoint.
I am a fan of Mikal Bridges, the player the Suns moved up to get. I considered him the seventh-best prospect in this year's draft, and if you value Phoenix as trading up from No. 16 to No. 7, the deal gets a little more even. (In that case, fair value would be giving up the 16th and 28th picks this year in return.) To justify this trade, Bridges had better become an important contributor.
Still, part of what I liked about Bridges was his ability to contribute right away, which has less value to a team like Phoenix that is unlikely to make the playoffs next season even after adding Bridges and No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton.
Philadelphia 76ers: B
The 76ers didn't quite ask "What would Sam Hinkie do?" when making this trade, but they certainly showcased the longest view in the room -- particularly admirable with head coach Brett Brown running basketball operations after Bryan Colangelo's resignation.
After giving up next year's Sacramento Kings pick as part of trading up to draft Markelle Fultz No. 1 overall last June (unless it's the No. 1 overall pick, in which case the Sixers will send their own first-rounder to the Boston Celtics instead), Philadelphia no longer had any additional first-round picks at its disposal. That was an OK position as the 76ers move from building to competing, but this is a better one either to make additional trades or to add another cost-controlled rookie contract to the roster as Philadelphia's young players start to get more expensive.
I did like Bridges' fit with his hometown Sixers, and the reporting by Arizona Sports radio host John Gambadoro suggests this deal didn't come together until the Suns were on the clock -- an indication Philadelphia was all set to keep Bridges until finding a favorable trade.
There had been whispers before the draft the 76ers were interested in Smith, an intriguing prospect because of his athleticism but one limited by his non-shooting. Playing Smith alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid may require him to develop into a 3-point threat after he made just 18 in 37 games as a freshman at Texas Tech. (Don't read too much into Smith making 45 percent of his limited 3s; his 72 percent foul shooting is a better indicator of where he's at as a shooter.)
The Sixers must be confident in the ability of their player development staff to help Smith improve his shooting. And, if that doesn't prove the case, there's always a first-round pick coming to soften the blow.