Sixers Make Trade to Get Arnett Moultrie

The Sixers got their man, but took an unconventional path to get him - trading for Mississippi St. PF/C Arnett Moultrie who was selected by the Heat with the No. 27 pick, but was immediately traded to the 76ers for the No. 45 pick and a future 1st-round pick.

Moultire is a very nice pick-up who I would have been happy to see go at No. 15 overall.  He gives the Sixers a high-level athlete with excellent size and length. Moultrie is a very versatile player with a good offensive skill set; he can score both inside and outside, averaging 16.5 points at Mississippi State.  One interesting thing will be, will the Sixers take a look at him at center.

He has been compared to players like Jermaine O'Neal and former first-round pick Jason Thompson and was considered a possibly lottery pick at one point, possessing good size and unusual athleticism for a 6'11" player - some even think that he could play the three position at the NBA level.

His ability to rebound had to be one of the top reasons the Sixers made the deal for Moultire, grabbing 10.8 rebounds per game, he is very good on both the offensive and defensive glass.  However, at 6’11 with his length and leaping ability, he is not a very good shot blocker, getting only 0.9 in three college seasons.

Overall, I like the deal to get Moultire and I think he will contribute more in his first season then Harkless will this season and more then last year's pick, Nikola Vucevic who showed flashes and could play a bigger role next season.

More on the deal:

The 76ers acquired the draft rights to Arnett Moultrie, who was the 27th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, from Miami in exchange for the draft rights to Justin Hamilton (45th overall pick) and a protected future first round pick. Moultrie was an early entry candidate for the draft following his junior season at Mississippi State.

Moultrie (6-11, 249) was named First Team All-SEC after averaging 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists this past season while shooting 54.9% from the floor.  He led the conference in rebounding and ranked tied for 10th in the nation.  Moultrie also shot 78.0% from the line in 2011-12 after shooting 58.7% his first two seasons combined.

The 21-year-old averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds this past season, grabbing 6-plus seven times including a career-high 11 vs. Northwestern State.  Moultrie recorded 18 double-doubles in 30 games.

Moultrie spent his first two seasons at UTEP before transferring to the Bulldogs.  He sat out the entire 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.  Moultrie was born in Queens but grew up in Memphis.  He shot over 70% from the floor during his final two seasons of high school.