Two Second-Round Picks Made This More Than a Center Dump
On August 26, 2016, the Utah Jazz sent center Tibor Pleiss and two future second-round selections to Philadelphia for the rights to guard Kendall Marshall. Utah’s official announcement confirmed all four components, and each franchise’s transaction register records the same exchange. The second-rounders were determined by relative positions among multiple clubs’ picks in 2017, so Philadelphia did not simply receive two unnamed extras. They ultimately became selections No. 36, Jonah Bolden, and No. 60, Alpha Kaba. The Sixers took on a big man who had seen little NBA time, but the lasting upside rested in the two draft opportunities.
Pleiss and Marshall Never Played for Their New Teams
Neither exchanged veteran supplied even one regular-season appearance for the receiving club. Philadelphia waived Pleiss on August 31, five days after the trade. He had previously played 12 NBA games for Utah in 2015-16, but those appearances belong to the Jazz before the transaction, not to the Sixers’ return. Utah waived Kendall Marshall on August 26, the same day it acquired his rights. Marshall’s 160 pre-trade NBA appearances likewise cannot become credit for Utah. The immediate basketball ledger was zero games on each side, leaving the draft picks as the critical elements for a long-term assessment.
Jonah Bolden Provided a Small but Real NBA Return
Philadelphia selected Bolden at No. 36 in 2017 and left him overseas in his initial post-draft season. He joined the NBA club in 2018-19, playing 44 regular-season games with ten starts and 639 minutes. He added four more Philadelphia appearances in 2019-20 before moving on. That is 48 regular-season Sixers games, 653 minutes and 211 points attributable to the pick acquired from Utah. Bolden was never a foundational frontcourt piece, but he provided identifiable playing time that the Jazz did not obtain from Marshall. The pick that became Kaba at No. 60 never produced a regular-season NBA appearance for Philadelphia, so its realized on-court contribution is zero.
The Better Return Came From Philadelphia’s Draft Rights
This exchange was mainly a chance for Philadelphia to take on Pleiss while receiving modest draft compensation, not a deal that changed the East. Utah moved a seldom-used center, but it surrendered two picks and then waived the player it received. Philadelphia also waived its acquired veteran, yet one of the second-round selections developed into an NBA reserve. Because Bolden actually played for the Sixers, his minutes can be credited directly to their return without speculating about alternative draft choices. Kaba’s unconverted rights are acknowledged without inventing production. The combination supports a measured Sixers advantage rather than a franchise-defining grade.
Final Verdict
76ers Win. Philadelphia earns B for taking Tibor Pleiss and the 2017 selections that became Jonah Bolden and Alpha Kaba; Bolden appeared in 48 regular-season Sixers games after the trade. Utah gets C: the Jazz disposed of Pleiss but waived Kendall Marshall without using him. The extra draft choices created the only identifiable on-court return after the exchange.