Jalen McDaniels Explains Leaving 76ers for Raptors

Last season, one of the key moves the Philadelphia 76ers made at the trade deadline was acquiring Jalen McDaniels from the Charlotte Hornets. Ahead of Saturday's matchup with the Toronto Raptors, the young forward explained why he didn't return to the team as a free agent. 

Upon entering free agency, McDaniels inked a two-year deal with the Raptors worth $9.2 million. However, there was a point where he thought he'd be returning to the Sixers. 

“I don’t even know what happened,” said McDaniels, according to Sixers Wire. “I thought I was (coming back to the Sixers). I guess it was a better opportunity. A team wanted me, gave me money, stuff like that I guess you could say, so I had to take it.”

In the end, it ended up being a business decision for McDaniels. The Toronto Raptors offered him more money, as the Sixers wanted him back on a veteran's minimum deal. 

“It was just like a minimum-type thing,” he continued. “Yeah, I couldn’t do that, you know?”

Following the trade last year, McDaniels appeared in 24 games for the Sixers. In that span, he averaged 6.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 0.7 SPG. The 25-year-old only played three minutes against his former team on Saturday. 

With McDaniels departing for Toronto in free agency, Daryl Morey replenished the Sixers' wing depth with veterans. Along with Bringing back Danny Green, he signed Kelly Oubre Jr. on a minimum deal. This has yielded positive results so far, as he's been a spark plug for Nick Nurse off the bench.