K.J. McDaniels has long been a favorite in these parts, and now the hyper-disruptive rookie will get a chance to charm a national audience. According to Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski, the Philadelphia 76ers have traded McDaniels to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick.
Philadelphia has traded K.J. McDaniels to Houston for Isaiah Canaan and a second round pick, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 19, 2015
What a boon for McDaniels and the Rockets.
The former goes from playing on a team he indirectly and openly disdained to a contender, while the latter grabs an extremely promising and rare wing defender for relative pennies. And even if the Clemson product can’t break into Kevin McHale’s rotation this season, the it’s likely Houston retains him in restricted free agency come July. Great stuff for both sides.
The Sixers, unfortunately, were stuck between a rock and a hard place here. McDaniels made no secret of his desire to play elsewhere considering the terms of his rookie contract and public cries of his family. Unless Sam Hinkie dealt him today, Philly was likely to lose McDaniels for nothing this summer or ink him to a new deal that would only further the rookie’s frustration. Still, one would think the Sixers could have done a bit better than an effective pair of second-round picks for such an intriguing player.
But this is about McDaniels, and the Rockets are a good fit for him – if not in the short-term, than definitely the long.
FULL COVERAGE OF THE NBA TRADE DEADLINE
[Yahoo]
