The Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks are making a deal before the NBA trade deadline that Atlanta hopes will bolster their playoff chances.
Philly is sending forward Ersan Ilyasova to Atlanta for Tiago Splitter and a second-round pick, as first reported by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst says the teams will also swap second-round picks.
Ilyasova has been bothered by a hip injury lately, but he’s still averaging 14.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season.
This is a move by Atlanta to try and improve their standing in the Eastern Conference. They are 5th in the conference and a half-game behind the Raptors, and just 2.5 games back of the No. 3 seed Wizards.
Splitter is a 6-foot-11 center from Brazil who has yet to play this season due to injuries. He is on an expiring contract.
Ilyasova should add to Atlanta’s depth in the frontcourt, which already includes the likes of Dwight Howard, Paul Millsap and Kris Humphries among others.
