I don’t see it.

Technically the Sixers received a 2nd round pick and Thiago Splitter. Splitter will most likely be waived and act as a mentor in the meantime. This website, who is far more knowledgeable than I, rated the trade an A for the Sixers.

In the short term they lose a bit of shooting, but they’re not winning a ton of games this year anyway, and Dario Saric is probably ready to step into Ilyasova’s shoes. This might also be an indication that Embiid will miss more time than originally thought, but that’s not for sure. Turning an expiring journeyman into useful assets is a smart move either way.

From an outsider’s view, I understand that the Sixers are not competitive and doing any moves to help their future and cap space makes sense. Ilyasova probably would have tested free agency and left no matter what so it didn’t make much difference.

The sad reality of this situation is that your 2nd best player is worth a 2nd round pick. Ersan averaged 14.8 pts a game, 6 reb, 2 assts, and leads the league in total charges drawn. He’s not physically special, not the fastest, but is a smart player who hustles and plays good D. The idea is that the departure of Ersan frees up time for Dario. I don’t think Dari0 plays anywhere near as big as Ersan and would get dominated by 4’s in the league.

This post isn’t trashing the Sixers. I was actually worried when the Sixers went on that little winning streak that they are progressing faster than I thought. My 1k bet with Sam was in jeopardy and much faster than I had expected. Bottom line is that they have 1 hurt all star (Embiid), a 2nd hurt potential good player (Simmons), and a bunch of wet trash truck juice. I don’t doubt there will be many changes in the future, but for now, the losing continues with a future that depends on injury prone players staying healthy.