Isaiah Canaan Worth a Flier in Fantasy Leagues After Trade to 76ers
Thursday morning, Isaiah Canaan had played 37 minutes of competitive basketball in the last 50 days. By the time the NBA trade deadline hit, he was very possibly the starting point guard of the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the second of a pair of deals that left the nation's basketball collective scratching its head, the Sixers acquired Canaan and a second-round pick from the Houston Rockets in exchange for K.J. McDaniels, per Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
From a pure basketball perspective, this one's tough to explain. McDaniels has been one of the league's surprise breakout rookies this season, emerging as a bouncy potential two-way menace. He remains raw on the offensive end but would finish with the highest block rate among players 6'6" or below in NBA history if the season ended today, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Juxtapose that against Canaan, who has made 47 appearances on an NBA floor since being drafted No. 34 overall in 2013. While effective in the limited time he's received in Houston, the trade on the surface seems almost inexcusable—even when factoring McDaniels' impending restricted free agency and the second-round pick the Rockets threw in for good measure.
Taken as a whole, it's clear Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie thinks Canaan is ready for extended minutes. His acquisition came on the same day Hinkie traded reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal that also included the Phoenix Suns. Coming Philadelphia's way, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today: A top-five protected pick via the Los Angeles Lakers.
Not another point guard. Not another young asset losing development time on Phoenix's bench. Just Future Dude X, who appears to be Hinkie's favorite player in league history considering how often he acquires him via trade.
There are many ways to look at this, so of course we'll be focusing on the most important: fantasy basketball. Sure, sure, there is #longreads galore potential regarding Hinkie's team-building strategy—Pablo S. Torre of ESPN The Magazine did an excellent job of filling in those blanks before the deadline.
The Sixers locker room also offers itself to an interesting psychoanalysis given everyone in the locker room knows he's more a number on a spreadsheet than actual person.
All worthy endeavors. None of which wins you money or the right to call your friend a moron.
Canaan should step instantly into the starting lineup. The Sixers are without any other viable options. Tony Wroten, who started when Carter-Williams was hurt earlier in the year, will likely miss the remainder of the season while recovering from knee surgery. Penn State's own Tim Frazier (WE ARE) could step in during Canaan's acclimation process, but he's been miserable from the field so far.
The job is Canaan's to lose. His free agency in your fantasy league is something that should instantly be rectified.
Even if Canaan isn't an NBA starting point guard, he's going to be productive on opportunity alone. The Sixers play the league's sixth-fastest pace and run a slashing style that fits well with Canaan's game. At Murray State, the 6'0" jitterbug was among the nation's leading scorers as a senior, creating a ton of his shots off the dribble. He's an ideal fit for Philadelphia's preferred style of play, featuring shots inside the paint and outside the three-point arc.
At worst, Canaan is the basketball version a mediocre running back who takes over for a regular starter. You may not love watching him every second—and, for the love of God, do not watch every second of Sixers basketball; there's masochism, and then there is beyond 50 Shades of Grey-type stuff in which Sixers basketball resides—but he's going to fill the stat sheet by the end of the night.
There is also some evidence Hinkie might be betting on the right player. In nine starts earlier this season Canaan averaged 12.6 points and 2.3 assists per game, knocking down 42.9 percent of his shots beyond the arc. Canaan is averaging 15.0 points per 36 minutes this season overall. It's theoretically possible he was only limited in Houston by opportunity.
Either way, it's worth a flier to find out.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
Stats via NBA.com.
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