Daryl Morey Explains Bringing In Jalen McDaniels, Trading Matisse Thybulle

CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers made one move on Thursday when they sent Matisse Thybulle to the Portland Trail Blazers in what grew to become a four-team deal that included the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks.

The Sixers acquired Jalen McDaniels and a 2024 second-round pick via the Knicks from the Hornets and they also acquired a 2029 second-round pick from the Blazers. That selection from Portland will be the most favorable to the Hawks, Nets, or Hornets.

When it comes to McDaniels, he has yet to experience the playoffs as he is in his fourth season in the league, all with the Hornets. He has been in the play-in tournament twice, but Charlotte lost both times, and so there are questions about how he can help Philadelphia in the postseason.

“We looked at all options for the team and we really think Jalen’s sort of a hidden gem,” said team president Daryl Morey. “Sometimes when teams struggle that much, there are players in there that really need an opportunity to show what they can do on a better team. We feel like Jalen’s a player like that. Obviously, we’ll see how he plays down the stretch going into the playoffs.”

McDaniels is averaging 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 32.2% from deep in the 2022-23 season for Charlotte. That 3-point percentage is a bit worse than Thybulle’s 33.3% shooting from deep, but McDaniels did shoot 38% in the 2021-22 season when LaMelo Ball was healthy for the Hornets.

“We spent a lot of time on that,” Morey added. “Obviously, shooting is you could argue half the game. Something around that. We spent a lot of time on which players will, in a different environment, shoot better. We feel comfortable. I think he’s had a little bit of a down year.”

Morey is feeling confident that McDaniels will be able to shoot better while playing next to a guy like James Harden.

“I don’t really stress about low-30s, high-30s, stuff like that,” Morey continued. “We look at this mix of shots, how open they are, how well they do if an average player got that same mix of shots and Jalen looks like, especially given his defensive prowess, he’ll be a solid shooter in this league.”

Now, McDaniels does come with a bit of trouble. While he was in high school, he was dealing with sexual misconduct lawsuits, but all of that is behind him and Morey feels comfortable about bringing him to Philadelphia.

“We do thorough research both on the floor and off,” Morey stated. “So we’re aware of that and we felt comfortable making the trade.”

As for Thybulle, he now heads off to Portland where he will look to continue his career. Morey explained why they moved the four-year player out of Washington.

“Some of it was just we think Jalen can really help and some of it was just the challenges of what’s to come which is the wars in the playoffs,” Morey finished. “We think Jalen will be someone who can be easier for Doc (Rivers) to keep on the floor in tough times in the playoffs.”