June 28, 2017
According to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers have made a blockbuster move and traded Shawn Long to the Houston Rockets for cash considerations and a 2018 second-round pick:
Philadelphia has traded Shawn Long to Houston for cash and a 2018 second-round pick, league source tells @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 28, 2017
The Rockets are gathering non-guaranteed contracts to use in Clippers trade, or elsewhere. Owner Leslie Alexander is spending to compete. https://t.co/V5L0jaWT8u
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 28, 2017
OK, this move isn’t actually a big deal more than a minor detail in A VERY BIG DEAL. Long fits the Rockets’ strategy of acquiring non-guaranteed contracts to match salary with the Los Angeles Clippers in the blockbuster Chris Paul trade (or perhaps another move later?). That way, the trade can go through but the Clippers aren’t on the hook for the non-guaranteed contracts they’re acquiring. The Rockets have also traded for Ryan Kelly, Tim Quarterman, and DeAndre Liggins in various trades.
For the Sixers, this move nets cash and a pick they will likely sell for cash (ba-dum-tshh!) for a player they were almost assuredly not going to retain next season. That works.
Unfortunately for Long, he’s always going to be the guy whose foot Ben Simmons stepped on in training camp.
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