Shake Milton Headed to Minnesota: Who Will Replace Him?
We’ll always have the Clippers game.
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Free agent guard Shake Milton is ending his five-year tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers, agreeing to a two-year, $10M contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Milton, 26, could not maintain consistent playing time for the Sixers this season, ultimately falling out of the rotation during the playoffs. He excelled when called upon to start at point guard in the absences of James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, but fell back into the shadows when the team’s two regular starting guards returned.
A split seemed like the best decision for all parties involved, and now Milton will join a Minnesota team that can offer him a more easily-defined role.
On June 21, I wrote about why I thought the Wolves were a good fit for Milton:
“The Minnesota Timberwolves enter free agency after a deeply disappointing season with a few needs, one of them being another ball-handling guard. Scoring guard Jaylen Nowell is becoming a free agent, as is Nickeil Alexander-Walker (restricted). Starting point guard Mike Conley is entering his age-36 season. Jordan McLaughlin is the team’s only reserve guard or ball-handler under contract for next season. They would have a lot of use for Milton’s services.”
It remains unclear which guards will be on the Sixers’ roster with the Harden situation being where it is right now. Even with Maxey and De’Anthony Melton on roster, they need at least one more quality guard, and that’s also considering a potential breakout season for Jaden Springer.
My favorite Milton replacement option is free agent guard Dennis Schroder, whose sudden two-way value was evident for the Los Angeles Lakers late last season. Another free agent guard who makes sense to me as a potential Milton replacement is former Sixer Seth Curry, who fell out of favor in Brooklyn. Washington’s two veteran guards, Monte Morris and Delon Wright, could also help the Sixers if they could be acquired via trade.