IN MY SMALL OPINION . . .
Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski just turned the proverbial lemons into lemonade with the trade of forward Reggie Evans to the Toronto Raptors for sharpshooting forward Jason Kapono.
Not to degrade Evans; in his two seasons with the Sixers, he was a high-energy player who provided grit and hard work off the bench.
But skill-wise, Evans didn't bring much to the table.
Averaging 3.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 79 games last season, Evans wasn't exceptional at anything in particular.
He was just a nice guy to have in your rotation - if you are the type of team that can afford the luxury of having a player like that in the rotation.
The Sixers are not that type of team.
They need to get something specific out of every player in the top seven or eight on the depth chart.
Kapono, a two-time winner of the three-point shooting contest at the NBA All-Star Weekend, will give the Sixers something they've lacked since Stefanski traded Kyle Korver to the Utah Jazz in 2007 - a proven outside shooter.
In six seasons, Kapono has appeared in 401 games and averaged 7.5 points in 19.2 minutes per game.
But the key for the Sixers is that Kapono is tied with former Chicago Bulls guard Steve Kerr for the highest three-point shooting percentage in NBA history (.454). Last season, he shot 42.8 percent (98 of 229) on three-pointers.
Kapono doesn't solve all of the Sixers' problems, but his proven ability to knock down shots from distance helps address one of this team's key weaknesses.
As a team, the Sixers were last in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (.318) and didn't have a regular player who shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc.
Obviously, the Sixers will have to bring in more shooters - a draft pick who can knock down long-range jump shots would be nice.
Still, by trading Evans for Kapono, the Sixers added a strength without sacrificing anything vital.
That's called making a good deal, and for Sixers fans looking for this team to move to the next level despite limited avenues, that's the type of creative deal you want to see.
In my Small opinion . . .
Fans and owners may loathe Scott Boras, but if I were an elite baseball player, I'd want him as my agent.
Boras is about to change the financial rules of major league baseball again with San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, whom some have labeled the best prospect in history.
