Consider Jamal Murray.
The conventional thinking is that the 76ers will go after Kris Dunn if they trade for Boston’s third pick in the NBA draft. But Murray might be a better fit, according to one NBA executive.
“He has a great knack for scoring the ball,” said the executive, who spoke of the condition of anonymity. “He can play two positions. He has international competition.
“So he would definitely fit the Sixers.”
Murray, a freshman at Kentucky last season, is from Kitchener, Ontario, and he helped lead the Canadian national team to a silver medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.
Dunn, 22, is older and a good defender. But on the offensive end, Murray, 19, is better.
There is also the age factor. Younger players are often viewed to have bigger upsides than older players, and there are already some within the Sixers organization who are high on the 6-foot-4, 207-pound Murray.
It would be a reach to take Murray with the first overall pick in the June 23 draft. The Sixers are expected to pick Louisiana State forward Ben Simmons or Duke small forward Brandon Ingram with that pick.
But it’s no secret that the Sixers are looking to restock at the point guard, shooting guard, and small forward positions this summer. It’s also no secret that they are overloaded at center with Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and Joel Embiid.
The team is expected to trade one of them this summer. Okafor, who has the highest trade value, is believed to be the one who will go.
According to a league source, the Sixers were shopping Okafor at the trade deadline. The Boston Herald reported that the Celtics had a deal in place to acquire him then.
Now that Boston has the third pick in the draft, the teams could revisit those trade discussions. That would enable to Sixers to unload a big player for the third pick to draft a guard.
Perhaps that’s why the Sixers are still expected to work out Murray, Dunn, and former California swingman Jaylen Brown.
Murray is arguably the most versatile of the three. He can play point guard and shooting guard. Dunn is strictly a point guard, and Brown is more of an athletic small forward.
Murray is often praised for his shooting, ballhandling, and ability to create shots off the dribble. The former Orangeville Prep (Canada) standout was the MVP of the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit, which featured the top American high school players against an international team. He finished with 30 points and five assists in the World Team’s two-point victory.
Then, despite being the second-youngest player in the Pan Am field, he averaged 16 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Canadians. At Kentucky, he averaged 20 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists and was a third-team all-American.
Murray became the first Kentucky freshman to score at least 30 points on three separate occasions. His 35-point outing tied Terrence Jones (2011) for the most points by a Wildcats freshman.
The 6-4, 220-pound Dunn made Big East history before leaving Providence after his redshirt junior season. Last season, he won his second consecutive award for conference player of the year. Dunn also was Big East defensive player of the year the last two seasons. He is the conference’s first guard to win both awards twice. The Connecticut native averaged 16.4 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.5 steals last season.
But Dunn missed time because of two shoulder surgeries in his first two years in college.
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