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Sixers' Saric to benefit from Ilyasova trade

WHEN THE 76ers traded Jerami Grant to Oklahoma City in November for Ersan Ilyasova, the thought was that Joel Embiid would have more room to move on the offensive end of the floor if the power-forward position was filled by a capable shooter.

WHEN THE 76ers traded Jerami Grant to Oklahoma City in November for Ersan Ilyasova, the thought was that Joel Embiid would have more room to move on the offensive end of the floor if the power-forward position was filled by a capable shooter.

That happened, and the pairing of Ilyasova and Embiid allowed the team to stop experimenting with Embiid-Jahlil Okafor and Embiid-Nerlens Noel combinations and proved that the team's 7-2 centerpiece was best suited to have a stretch four on the floor with him.

The Sixers still believe that, but now they are going to do it for the rest of this season and probably for the foreseeable future with another stretch four, rookie Dario Saric.

The team traded the 29-year-old Ilyasova Wednesday to the Atlanta Hawks for center/forward Tiago Splitter and Atlanta's second-round pick in 2017 (via Miami). The teams will also swap other 2017 second-rounders, including the Sixers' pick via Golden State.

Saric's play of late, in which he has averaged 20.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in the past five games, no doubt was a factor in president Bryan Colangelo's decision to trade Ilyasova, who averaged 14.8 points and shot 35.9 percent from three during his 53 games with the Sixers. Also, Ilyasova is an unrestricted free agent after this season. When the team decided it wasn't going to try to sign him, it appears Colangelo wanted to get something in return.

The 32-year-old Splitter played just 36 games for the Hawks last season and hasn't played for them at all this season due to various injuries.

For the season, the 6-11 Saric is the Sixers' only player to have participated in all 56 games, averaging 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. His game has grown throughout the season and he is starting to really tap into his overall skills. He has wonderful touch on his passes and is able to take the ball off the backboard and lead a break.

He appears to be adapting to the way the organization wants to play its high-paced style, and his easy-going personality has endeared him to fans and teammates faster than many could have anticipated.

It is the reason he and Embiid could have an after-practice, one-on-one session on Wednesday, which was more competitive than lighthearted.

"He don't like playing me," Embiid jokingly wisecracked about Saric. "He never wins and he doesn't handle me talking trash to him. I would love to play against him all the time because it gives me confidence, beating him every day. It gives him a lot of confidence, losing to me, so obviously he knows that he has to get better. We both like to compete. I love playing against him."

cooneyb@phillynews.com, @BobCooney76

Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog