Unlike the last two NBA trade deadlines, the Philadelphia 76ers weren’t really involved in any fireworks. It was a quiet deadline across the league compared to the last two years, but Sam Hinkie and Jerry Colangelo appear to have made a small deal at the buzzer.
First reported by Yahoo Sports, the Sixers acquired center Joel Anthony and a second-round pick from the Houston Rockets for the rights to Chukwudiebere “Chu Chu” Maduabum.
Anthony, who makes $2.5 million this season and has a non-guaranteed contract next year, will likely be waived after the Sixers open up a roster spot for him. The pick, via multiple sources, will be the Denver Nuggets’ 2017 second-round pick.
7:00 p.m. update: The player that was waived is JaKarr Sampson, per the Sixers. According to the Inquirer, Sampson's absence could be fairly brief:
There are financial implications that likely drove this move. By some rough math using Basketball Insiders, the Sixers’ total salary now stands at $62.8 million, just shy of the $63 million salary floor. As was the case with Thomas Robinson last year, there is an incentive for the Sixers to reach that salary floor as late in the season as possible.
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