New York Turned Two Future Seconds Into a Productive Young Center
New York acquired the draft rights to Willy Hernangomez, the No. 35 pick in 2015, from Philadelphia for two future second-round picks and cash. Hernangomez stayed in Spain for another season before joining the Knicks in 2016-17, and his rookie year immediately gave the transaction real basketball value. He played 72 games, averaged 8.2 points and 7.0 rebounds and earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. For two future seconds, the Knicks obtained a young center who became a useful rotation piece rather than a draft-and-stash that never arrived.
Hernangomez's Rookie Season Was the High Point of the Knicks Return
The value did not keep climbing forever. Hernangomez's role shrank in his second New York season, and the Knicks traded him to Charlotte in February 2018 after 98 total games and 22 starts with the franchise. That limits how high the New York side should be graded. Still, the original deal produced two NBA seasons, a strong rookie campaign and a player with enough value to be moved again. The Knicks did not find a long-term starter, but they received more than a speculative second-round gamble.
Philadelphia Banked Two Future Picks and Cash
Philadelphia's return was built for a much longer timeline. The two New York second-rounders eventually landed in the 2020 and 2021 draft asset chains, with the canonical ledger associating them with No. 36 Tyler Bey and No. 50 Filip Petrusev. The 76ers did not need Hernangomez in 2015 and instead converted his rights into extra future draft inventory plus cash. Those assets retained transaction value for years, even though neither eventual selection developed into a player whose NBA production clearly eclipsed what Hernangomez gave New York.
Both Sides Extracted Reasonable Value From a Modest Deal
The hindsight result is unusually balanced for a second-round rights trade. New York got the best immediate player outcome: Hernangomez became an All-Rookie First Team center and a real rotation contributor. Philadelphia got multiple future shots and cash for a player it had just selected in the second round. The later pick outcomes did not turn the Sixers' side into a major win, while Hernangomez's short New York tenure keeps the Knicks from separating either. The canonical B+ grades on both sides fit a deal where each team achieved a sensible objective.
Final Verdict
Even Trade — New York B+, Philadelphia B+. The Knicks acquired Willy Hernangomez for two future second-round picks and cash, then received a 72-game All-Rookie First Team season and 98 total games from him before moving him in 2018. Philadelphia chose future flexibility instead, collecting two second-round assets that eventually entered the 2020 and 2021 draft chains. Hernangomez produced the strongest direct NBA value, but his New York stay was brief enough that the Sixers' multi-pick return still holds up. Neither side created a decisive advantage.