Tyreke Evans Trade Rumors: 76ers Interested in SG, Grizzlies Want 1st-Round Pick

The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly expressed interest in Memphis Grizzlies combo guard Tyreke Evans ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline, according to the New York Times' Marc Stein. 

However, Stein noted the Grizzlies want a first-round pick in exchange for Evans and wrote the Sixers are "naturally reluctant" to part with one. 

Evans, 28, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end after he inked a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Grizzlies last summer. 

Thanks to that expiring contract and some terrific production, he's emerged as one of this year's more valuable trade chips. 

Entering Wednesday night, Evans is averaging 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and a career-high 39.2 percent from three. 

Those are figures worth paying for, especially if you're a playoff-starved club such as the Sixers. 

However, parting with a first-round pick for a player who may not be on the roster beyond April is a tough sell. In that sense, the Sixers could try to lace their own first-round pick with lottery protections that allow them to hedge against a possible postseason absence. 

And considering Philadelphia also owns the Los Angeles Lakers' 2018 first-round selection so long as it doesn't land between pick Nos. 2-5—in which case it would convey to the Boston Celtics—there's enough insurance available to spring for Evans if the price is right.