The Philadelphia 76ers have been as active as any team in the league leading up to Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline. It was just a day ago that they acquired Malachi Richardson in a minor deal with the Toronto Raptors, but the former first-round pick is reportedly already on the move after the Sixers completed a trade for the Houston Rockets’ James Ennis.
The Athletic’s Derek Bodner has the latest details on Philadelphia’s ever-revolving roster:
The #sixers will waive Malachi Richardson to make room for James Ennis, per sources. The Sixers acquired Richardson, Toronto’s 2022 2nd round pick and the rights to Emir Preldzic yesterday in exchange for cash considerations.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) February 7, 2019
Ennis signed with the Rockets in free agency over the summer, ostensibly to replace the departed Trevor Ariza as the team’s starter at small forward. But he played a slightly smaller role with Houston than anticipated despite connecting on a career-best 37.3 percent from beyond the arc. Philadelphia acquired him via future draft considerations on Thursday morning as Daryl Morey looked to lessen his team’s onerous luxury-tax bill.
The Sixers’ preceding trade for Richardson was more about the second-round pick that came along with him than the possibility he’d ever become a part of Brett Brown’s rotation. The 22nd overall pick of the 2016 draft has yet to find his footing in the NBA, appearing in a combined 70 regular-season games over the first four seasons of his career.
Ennis is a good pickup for a Philadelphia team in dire need of defense, athleticism, and opportunistic shotmaking off the bench. He won’t start for the new-look Sixers, but should play a big role as their designated stopper throughout the regular season’s remainder and playoffs when Jimmy Butler needs a rest.
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