The Clippers Bought Flexibility, Not a Player
Los Angeles sent Jared Cunningham, the rights to Cenk Akyol and cash to Philadelphia for the rights to Serhiy Lishchuk. The timing explains the deal. Cunningham had the Clippers' only non-guaranteed contract and was likely to be released if he stayed. By trading him instead, Los Angeles removed nearly $400,000 from its cap calculation, cut the related luxury-tax bill and opened a roster spot. Lishchuk was a rights asset, not the reason to make the move.
Philadelphia Took the Cash and a Rights Flyer
The 76ers waived Cunningham the same day, so he produced no on-court return for Philadelphia. Akyol's rights remained an asset and were later sent to Denver in the JaVale McGee salary-dump trade. That later first-round pick should not be backfilled into this transaction: Denver was paying Philadelphia to absorb McGee's contract, with Akyol serving as the nominal return. For this trade, Philadelphia's real value was the cash plus a low-cost rights asset.
The purpose of the move was unusually tied to salary rules rather than acquiring a future rotation player. Los Angeles sent guard Jared Cunningham, the rights to Cenk Akyol and cash to Philadelphia, receiving the rights to Serhiy Lishchuk. The acquired rights were not a guarantee that Lishchuk would play an NBA minute for the Clippers. Instead, the deal cleared nearly $400,000 in cap obligations and helped reduce the team's luxury-tax exposure. Philadelphia obtained a young guard and a separate rights asset without needing to solve the Clippers' payroll objectives itself. That is why an even C+ judgment can recognize both sides' narrow purposes without inventing a major basketball career for either rights holder.
Why the Result Is Essentially Even
Neither team acquired a player who became useful NBA production from this exchange. Los Angeles achieved an immediate cap, tax and roster-space objective instead of simply waiving Cunningham. Philadelphia collected cash and another movable rights piece without keeping Cunningham. The stakes were small and both clubs got a practical benefit, so a decisive winner would overstate what this transaction actually became.
Final Verdict
Even Trade — Los Angeles C+, Philadelphia C+. The Clippers saved money and opened a roster spot at a moment when Cunningham was likely to be waived anyway. The 76ers received cash and Akyol's rights but no Cunningham production. With no meaningful direct player value on either side, equal modest grades fit the result better than treating either package as a major win.