Sixers president Daryl Morey excited about newly acquired Jalen McDaniels’ two-way ability

The 76ers say the addition of Jalen McDaniels makes them a more serious championship contender.

“A big theme of our season this year was to prepare for the playoffs, and win a championship as you guys know,” Sixers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey said Friday. “We wanted to make sure we gave [coach Doc Rivers] as many two-way players as possible.

“And we think Jalen is one of the up-and-coming solid defenders, somebody that’s a little easier to keep on the floor in a lot of matchups.”

The Sixers didn’t have the same confidence in Matisse Thybulle, whose minutes decreased this season despite him being a two-time second-team All-Defensive selection.

» READ MORE: The Sixers had little choice but to trade Matisse Thybulle

As a result, the Sixers moved Thybulle before Thursday’s trade deadline, sending him to the Portland Trail Blazers. They acquired McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets, as well as second-round picks from the New York Knicks (2024) and Blazers (2029). McDaniels met with Rivers following Friday morning’s shootaround. The 6-foot-9, 205-pounder will make his Sixers debut Friday night against the Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center as the trade was approved late Friday afternoon.

“Coach had a very spirited practice today,” Morey said. “And guys are fired up. I think the first day after trade deadline is a good time to regroup and remind everyone of the mission and know that we’ve got the pieces that can win a championship and we’re excited to go.”

McDaniels, a fourth-year player, is averaging career highs in points (10.6), steals (1.2), and minutes (26.7) this season. He’s shooting a career-low 32.2% on three-pointers after making a career-high 38.0% last season.

Meanwhile, Thybulle had not progressed offensively to the Sixers’ satisfaction since the conclusion of last season. In the last postseason, Thybulle was left wide open while defenders double-teamed his teammates. And based on this season’s role, there was no guarantee he would have gotten postseason minutes for the Sixers.

“I think it’s pretty straightforward,” Morey said. “If you’re making it harder for the team on offense, I think it makes it harder to keep you on the floor defensively.”

The Sixers are elated to have that luxury with McDaniels, someone they’re interested in signing in free agency this summer. The team also did its due diligence and were satisfied with their findings after researching his background before making the trade.

In 2019, McDaniels was sued by two female high school classmates who claimed he recorded them performing sexual acts without their consent. No criminal charges were filed and he “sincerely apologized [to both women] for his conduct.”

The incident occurred in 2016 when McDaniels was 17. The Hornets said they did their due diligence before selecting him with the 52nd pick in the 2019 draft out of San Diego State.

“We do thorough research, both on the floor and off,” Morey said. “So we are aware of that. We felt comfortable making the trade.”

As a way to thank Sixers fans, Thybulle made a stop on his way to airport early Friday morning for his flight to Portland. He stopped by Garage Fishtown to tag “Thank You Philly” and signed it Mat. T on the mural of him painted on the Frankford Avenue side of the building

During his media availability, Morey also thanked Thybulle for his time served as a Sixer.

“Great run here,” Morey said. “He gave us a lot of great minutes, became a fan favorite. We wish him all the best in Portland. We know he’s going to have a long NBA career.”

Morey also addressed the fact that Furkan Korkmaz remains a member of the Sixers past the deadline while acknowledging The Inquirer’s report that the shooting guard had requested a trade. Sources also told The Inquirer that Morey planned to package him in a deal.

» READ MORE: From Kevin Durant to Josh Hart: How NBA trade deadline moves indirectly impact the Sixers’ path

“Look, he’s a very good player,” Morey said. “I think he would be on the rotation of many teams in the league. So we were hoping to help him out. He’s been a great partner with the organization. There really wasn’t an opportunity.

“Look, again, Coach at shootaround today, a big theme was guys like Furkan, they are going to get a shot this year. We are going to need them to step up. We expect he will.”