The Philadelphia 76ers declined Furkan Korkmaz’s option and in early November, he reportedly asked for a trade. Could the Sacramento Kings make a move for him?
"Sacramento Kings Receive G/F Furkan Korkmaz Philadelphia 76ers Receive 2019 2nd Round Pick (via Sac or Milwaukee [less favorable of the two]) 2020 2nd Round Pick (via Sac)"
Let’s get one thing out-of-the-way first, Furkan Korkmaz, for all intents and purposes, is a shooting guard. With that said, Korkmaz is 6-7, 185lbs and could easily slot into the Kings small forward spot.
Korkmaz, in his second season, had his third-year option declined by the 76ers, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2019. The Sixers have a logjam at the SG/SF position and as a result Korkmaz has played just 10.5 minutes per game this season. Over 11 games, he’s averaged 4.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists on .472/.381/.714 shooting.
Korkmaz hasn’t been great, ranking 179 out of 430 players in real-plus/minus and has posted just a -0.19 player-impact plus/minus. Still, the Kings other options at small forward lag far behind the numbers posted by the Sixers guard this season.
He’s also been trending up recently too. Over six games in November, Korkmaz has played 15 minutes per contest and added in 7.2 points, three rebounds and 1.2 assists on .484/.444/.714 shooting.
As The Step Back’s Jackson Frank points out, this expanded role could be due, in part, to players ahead of Korkmaz struggling.
I wonder if Furkan Korkmaz is earning a bigger role ahead of Landry Shamet.
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) November 18, 2018
Korkmaz shooting splits: .472/.381/.714
Shamet: .389/.341/.813
Korkmaz net rating on-off split: +5.3
Shamet: -12.7
Korkmaz PIPM: -0.19
Shamet: -3.21
Even if the Sixers asking price goals up, the Kings should still work to make a deal here.
For the Sixers, a pair of second round picks should be enough to get a trade done, as they’ve already declined his option and it seems unlikely Korkmaz would want to stay in Philly.