Sixers’ deadline pickup McDaniels reportedly joining Raptors

Daryl Morey’s deadline deal for Jalen McDaniels ultimately did not yield much for the Sixers.

McDaniels has agreed to a two-year, $9.3 million contract with the Raptors, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Saturday night.

After acquiring McDaniels in February, Morey said he had “starter potential.”

“We’d like him to obviously have a great run to help us win a championship this year and then re-sign him — we have his Bird rights — and hopefully continue it here,” said Morey, the Sixers’ president of basketball operations. “But given his size, athleticism, he has everything we need —someone we can build around going forward.”

Morey believed that McDaniels could be a useful postseason player for the Sixers. With the Hornets, the 25-year-old wing made zero playoff appearances.

“We really think Jalen’s sort of a hidden gem,” Morey said. “Sometimes when teams struggle that much, there are players who really just need an opportunity to show what they can do on a better team. We feel like Jalen’s a player like that. Obviously, we’ll see how he plays down the stretch going into the playoffs.”

In 24 regular-season games with the Sixers, McDaniels averaged 6.7 points and 3.2 rebounds. His athleticism in the open floor, positional size, and knack for cutting were all clear positives. The playoffs did not pan out as Morey envisioned, though. McDaniels began the postseason in head coach Doc Rivers’ rotation — he even played the final 13-plus minutes of the Sixers’ Round 1, Game 2 win over the Nets — but didn’t keep his spot. McDaniels was just 3 for 9 in the playoffs from three-point range.