KJ McDaniels Traded for Isaiah Canaan: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction
As part of a flurry of last-second deals before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to send rookie shooting guard K.J. McDaniels to the Houston Rockets in exchange for guard Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick.
The Rockets confirmed the move on Thursday.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports first reported the move.
A second-round pick in last June's draft, McDaniels has emerged as a promising two-way swingman in Philadelphia. He's averaging 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game on 39.9 percent shooting, nondescript numbers that somewhat obscure his stat-filling tendencies.
An athletic, tough on-ball defender, McDaniels also averages 1.3 blocks and 0.8 steals per night. He is one of two players (Danny Green) listed 6'6" or under averaging at least a block per game, according to Basketball-Reference.
Though the Sixers liked McDaniels, his unique contract situation turned him into a trade piece. Rather than accepting a more standard deal for an early second-round pick—Philadelphia seemingly prefers four-year commitments, the first two being guaranteed—McDaniels bet on himself by signing a one-year deal. He will be a restricted free agent this summer, where he'll likely command a salary exponentially higher than a typical second-year guy.
Canaan, in his second year out of Murray State, is averaging 6.2 points and 1.2 assists per game. He has played in only 47 games since arriving in Houston. The Rockets' muck of capable ball-handlers made this a feasible move, and they added New York's Pablo Prigioni in a subsequent trade to fill the roster spot, per Wojnarowski.
Canaan is also a restricted free agent this summer
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