Reports: Sixers One of a Half-Dozen Teams Interested in Tyreke Evans

Will the Sixers make a move ahead of the February 8th trade deadline?

They’re apparently sniffing around, according to Marc Stein, who says Philly is interested in the Memphis shooting guard:

The Sixers have expressed trade interest in Tyreke Evans, according to league sources, but Memphis continues to seek a first-round pick in an Evans deal and Philly is naturally reluctant to surrender it

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 31, 2018

Evans is also being linked to the Celtics.

Keith Pompey says a bunch of teams are in on the 28-year-old Delco native:

Source confirms #Sixers are interested in Tyreke Evans, but adds #Celtics, #Cavaliers, #Pelicans, #Thunder, #Heat & #Rockets have all contacted the #Grizzlies about the Chester native. "It going to come to a team giving them what they want," the source said. They want a 1-rounder

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 31, 2018

Evans’ name has been tossed around a lot in recent weeks as the Sixers continue to get little meaningful contribution from their bench. He’s a nine-year NBA veteran who could provide a much-needed shooting spark with the second unit.

He’s performing well above his career averages this season with a 45.8 field goal percentage and 39.2% mark from three-point range, doing an phenomenal job of covering for the injured Mike Conley. Evans started his career in Sacramento, played four seasons in New Orleans, and then was shipped back to the Kings as part of the DeMarcus Cousins trade. He signed a one-year, $3.3 million free agent deal with the Grizzlies in the offseason.

So if the Sixers do make a play for him, they’ll need to lock him up beyond this season. Packaging a first-round pick into a deal involving an expiring contract is way too steep of a price for me, unless you can somehow get Jerryd Bayless off the books. The Sixers have their own first round pick this year, plus the Lakers’ first if it falls outside of the top five. They also have the Kings’ first-round pick in 2019.

There’s some flex there, but the Sixers don’t need to throw away first round picks. They don’t need to win right now. I think it probably makes sense to wait until the summer to move on a max free agent deal instead of jumping the shark in February.

Unless, of course, the price is right.