Philadelphia Sold the Rights to an Oklahoma State Point Guard
Philadelphia used the 39th overall choice in the 2017 draft on Jawun Evans, a quick Oklahoma State guard, before transferring his draft rights to the Los Angeles Clippers for cash considerations. The move was formally recorded in the clubs' summer transaction histories. The 76ers already had a heavily stocked young roster and opted for a financial return from a second-round selection. Los Angeles wanted another affordable ball handler with enough defensive quickness to compete for reserve minutes. This was a pick-rights purchase, not a swap of two active NBA guards.
Evans Played Meaningful Rookie Minutes for the Clippers
Evans appeared in 48 Clippers regular-season games in 2017-18, starting four and totaling 778 minutes. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 assists and spent much of the year learning how to operate a professional offense. The percentages and scoring totals were not remarkable, but those appearances represented a real roster contribution from a player picked late in the second round. The Clippers had altered their guard rotation after moving Chris Paul, creating more opportunities for fringe players. Evans was not an eventual franchise starter; he was inexpensive injury and backcourt cover with actual playing time.
His Clippers Career Ended Before a Second Regular Season
The following October, Los Angeles waived Evans while finalizing its opening-night roster, a decision reported alongside the Wesley Johnson and Alexis Ajinça transaction. Evans later made NBA appearances for Oklahoma City and Phoenix in 2018-19, but none of those games should be counted as Clippers return. That cutoff limits the grade: the Clippers did not find a long-term second-round steal. Their direct return was one 48-game rookie season with a handful of starts. Philadelphia, for its part, acquired no player or replacement selection from the cash sale, only the cash consideration.
The Receiving-Team Return Reverses the Older Winner
A second-round cash transaction is low stakes compared with a blockbuster, and Philadelphia was under no obligation to keep every prospect it drafted. Still, the older Sixers-favored verdict treated the money as superior to the actual NBA utility that Evans provided in Los Angeles. The Clippers invested in a modest guard and got hundreds of rotation minutes in return. Philadelphia collected an undisclosed financial payment, which has value but cannot be credited with basketball production without documented use of the funds. The more defensible retrospective gives Los Angeles the modest sporting edge while retaining a fair acknowledgment of Philadelphia's financial rationale.
Final Verdict
Clippers Win. Los Angeles earns B- because Jawun Evans supplied 48 regular-season appearances, four starts, 778 minutes and a rookie-season reserve guard option. Philadelphia gets C for the cash it received when selling the No. 39 draft rights. Evans did not stick beyond one Clippers season, but those actual NBA minutes outweigh the Sixers' unquantified on-court return.