The Golden State Warriors dealt Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III to the Sixers for three second-round picks, but they should’ve managed to get more.
The Philadelphia 76ers are in a downward spiral that they didn’t know how to break from. They needed depth, they needed shooting and they needed help molding their championship-caliber team together. That’s where the Golden State Warriors come in.
The Warriors were sellers at the NBA’s February 6 trade deadline. They auctioned off six players with the combination of Willie Cauley-Stein, Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks returning four second-round picks.
On top of those three, Omari Spellman, Jacob Evans III, and D’Angelo Russell all found themselves bundled in a trade that sent them to Minnesota. The Warriors secured a top-three 2021 protected first-round pick, another second-round pick and forward Andrew Wiggins.
Could they have bargained for more?
Maybe.
But, what we do know is that the Warriors should’ve at least been able to get a first-round pick for Robinson III and Burks, two players that were rocking veteran’s minimum contracts.
They signed both this offseason with the intention of having them play meaningful roles on their championship-caliber team. Then, in the fourth game of the season, Stephen Curry broke his left hand, ruining the team’s playoff aspirations.
For Burks and Robinson III, they were able to step up and receive big-time minutes, showing off their potential impact on a team.
In turn, each player had the best season of his career with Robinson III averaging around 12 points per game on 40% from downtown and Burks topping 16 per game, making a career-high 1.7 threes per game.
That type of production likely won’t be replicated in Philadelphia, but it should’ve been worth more. Sadly, the Warriors likely took the best deal available with the deadline nearing and not too many buyers looking at the two.
They took the best deal for two expiring contracts, but that doesn’t mean their value shouldn’t have been worth a bit more.