Top Targets For Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have the best record in the Eastern Conference at 27-12, but they appear to be searching for upgrades ahead of the NBA trade deadline on March 25.

“Based on conversations with sources close to the team, they are not content with their current roster,” Bleacher Report’s Jason Dumas recently reported.

The Sixers’ starting five of Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Danny Green, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid is outscoring opponents by 15.1 points per 100 possessions, which is the fifth-best mark of any unit that has played at least 300 possessions this season. However, their bench is averaging only 33.6 points per game, which ranks 20th leaguewide.

With Embiid now sidelined by a knee injury at least for the next 2-3 weeks, the Sixers may need reinforcements at the trade deadline to keep pace with the Brooklyn Nets atop the East. They can use the expiring contracts of Green ($15.4 million), Mike Scott ($5.0 million), Terrance Ferguson ($3.9 million), Tony Bradley ($3.5 million) and Vincent Poirier ($2.6 million) for salary-matching purposes, while they can offer 2021 or 2023 first-round picks along with Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle and/or Shake Milton as trade chips.

Who should the Sixers target on the trade market? That depends on how much they’re willing to give up to address their biggest flaws.

The big splashes

If the Sixers are eyeing a big upgrade, they’ll likely have four names in mind.

Bradley Beal leads the league in scoring and would be the top prize on the trade market if the Washington Wizards make him available. However, Shams Charania and Fred Katz of The Athletic reported in early February that Washington has “no interest in trading him,” so Philly will likely have to turn its attention elsewhere.

Fresh off his first All-Star Game appearance, Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine should be similarly enticing. However, three executives around the league indicated to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago that LaVine is “not actively in the trade market,” either.

The Toronto Raptors may be more amenable to moving Kyle Lowry, who is in the final year of his contract and turns 36 on the day of the trade deadline. The Ringer’s Ryen Russillo recently said Lowry “has been telling everybody for over a month that he is getting traded,” although the veteran guard vehemently denied that.

Michael Grange of Sportsnet reported “Lowry is not going to be dealt” before the deadline, and Sam Amick of The Athletic noted “the sheer number of moving financial parts likely required to get a Lowry deal done would be a hindrance.” Since the Sixers are over the luxury-tax threshold, they can take back no more than 125 percent of the salary they send out plus $100,000, which makes it difficult for them to match Lowry’s $30.5 million contract.

Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo is likely the most attainable big-name option, particularly since he recently declined a two-year, $45.2 million extension offer, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. However, the combination of his injury history and mediocre shooting percentages may cause the Sixers to set their sights a bit lower instead.

Considering how dominant their starting five has been, they don’t appear to be in any rush to break up that group. Team president Daryl Morey hinted at smaller upgrades in a recent interview with Dan Gelston of the Associated Press, which likely would take Lowry and Oladipo out of the running.

“We have a great group, a great chemistry, they’re playing at a high level, they play even better against very good teams,” Morey said. “That’s something fragile and we need to respect it. Long story short, everyone expecting some big thing, I would ask them to be excited about who we have more than what’s possible.”

The playmakers

Although the Sixers have a dominant defense, their offense is more middle-of-the-pack. They’re averaging only 96.0 points per 100 plays in half-court settings, which ranks 17th leaguewide.

Adding a playmaking guard could give them some extra juice off the bench.

“No one thinks” George Hill will remain with the Oklahoma City Thunder beyond the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. The 34-year-old is currently out after undergoing a thumb procedure in early February, but he’s a career 38.4 percent three-point shooter who would fit like a glove alongside Shake Milton in Philly’s second unit.

Dumas reported the Sixers have “inquired about the availability” of both Hill and Detroit Pistons guard Delon Wright, whose off-the-dribble chops could help the Sixers’ reserves from getting too stagnant offensively. He’s knocking down a career-high 39.2 percent of his three-point attempts this season, but he’s a low-volume shooter who likely wouldn’t spend much time next to Simmons and Embiid because of potential spacing concerns.

The New Orleans Pelicans had “shown an openness to discussing trades” for Lonzo Ball earlier this season, according to Charania, although his hot play of late has calmed that chatter for now. Ball’s upcoming foray into restricted free agency might limit how much the Sixers would be willing to offer, but he has the most long-term upside of anyone in this group.

The stretch bigs

Backup center Dwight Howard appears to be finding his footing after an up-and-down start to the season, but he doesn’t offer much offensively outside of lobs and putbacks. A three-point-shooting big could allow the Sixers to roll out a lineup with Simmons and four floor-spacers, which could come in handy during the playoffs.

Amick reported in mid-February that the Sixers were “among the teams” considering Sacramento Kings big man Nemanja Bjelica, who is a career 39.0 percent three-point shooter. Bjelica spurned them as a free agent in 2018 after initially agreeing to terms on a contract, but his conceptual fit makes as much sense now as it did back then.

The Sixers could also pursue a reunion with Mike Muscala, who averaged 7.4 points in 22.1 minutes across 47 games for them during the 2018-19 season. The career 36.8 percent three-point shooter is on the final year of his contract, and the rebuilding Thunder figure to take whatever they can get for him ahead of the deadline.

Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker reportedly “would relish” a reunion with Sixers team president Daryl Morey, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, and the Sixers are one of many contenders to have expressed interest in him. Whereas Bjelica and Muscala are mostly shooting specialists, Tucker could slide in as a small-ball 5 and give head coach Doc Rivers more positional versatility whenever Embiid is off the floor.

“He’s still a physical motherf–ker who can guard 2-5,” a Western Conference official told Fischer about Tucker. “I don’t think he can guard Dame Lillard for 48 minutes like he did three years ago, but on a game’s last possession, he can. Therein lies his value.”

Tucker is turning 36 in May and will become a free agent this summer, so the rebuilding Rockets have no reason to keep him around past the trade deadline. If they aren’t able to find a taker for him and they buy him out after the deadline, his relationship with Morey from their Houston days may help the Sixers sign him.

The bench shooters

If the Sixers aren’t sold on Furkan Korkmaz as a reliable bench shooter in the playoffs, they may peruse the market for some cheap veteran options.

Detroit Pistons guard Wayne Ellington is knocking down a career-high 42.4 percent of his 6.3 three-point attempts per game this season, although he has cooled off since a hot shooting stretch earlier in the year. Salary-matching won’t be an issue since he’s on a one-year minimum contract, and the Pistons might as well flip him for whatever they can get as they continue their ground-up rebuild. They’re reportedly seeking a second-round pick, according to Charania, and the Sixers have two in this year’s draft (their own and the New York Knicks’).

The New York Knicks have two potential targets in Alec Burks and Austin Rivers. The former played 18 games for the Sixers last year and averaged 12.2 points per game while shooting 41.6 percent from deep, while the latter has fallen out of the Knicks’ rotation since their acquisition of Derrick Rose.

Burks is on a one-year, $6 million contract, so the Knicks need to weigh whether to flip him for an asset or keep him to help with their playoff push. Rivers signed a three-year, $10 million contract with the Knicks this past summer, although the next two seasons are non-guaranteed, which should make him even more attractive to the cap-strapped Sixers. (However, having Rivers’ father as the head coach may be an obstacle.)

Chicago Bulls wing Garrett Temple could be of interest as well, as he’s on an affordable one-year, $4.8 million contract. The career 34.7 percent three-point shooter wouldn’t necessarily fit Morey’s mantra of not giving away assets “to upgrade the ninth guy” in the rotation, though.

The wild cards

Injuries have sent the Orlando Magic into free fall, which could incentivize them to move Evan Fournier‘s $17.2 million expiring contract before he becomes a free agent this summer. He’d be an offensive upgrade over Green in the Sixers’ starting lineup, but he has missed Orlando’s past few games with a groin strain and would be a defensive liability compared to Green.

The Bulls might also shift into seller mode if they slip out of the playoff picture of the next few weeks, which could put Thaddeus Young in play. However, Chicago executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas is telling teams that Young “isn’t available for trade,” according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, so a reunion between him and the Sixers doesn’t appear likely.

Rockets guard Eric Gordon “had been a target of several teams,” according to Wojarnowski, but he is now out 4-6 weeks with a strained groin, which “largely assures” that he will remain in Houston. His previous injury history and four-year, $75.6 million contract were already obstacles in any potential trade, although he could have helped boost Philly’s anemic bench scoring.  

The Sixers are among the teams to have expressed interest in Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr., according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, but the Cavs “keeping telling opposing teams” that Nance “isn’t available.” While the 28-year-old’s versatility would be a nice fit in Philadelphia, he appears likely to finish out the season in Cleveland.  

Denver Nuggets swingman Will Barton and San Antonio Spurs forward Rudy Gay and guard Patty Mills should all be of some interest to the Sixers as well. However, the Nuggets and Spurs are both firmly in playoff contention, so they’re more likely to be buyers than sellers, even if it means risking losing those veterans for nothing in free agency.

The Sixers have won three straight games by 20-plus points—the first time they’ve done so since the 2007-08 season—even though they were without Simmons for the first two and only had Embiid for part of one game. They’re facing a tough upcoming stretch without Embiid, but they appear to be one of the favorites in the East when fully healthy.

Over the next week-and-a-half, Morey will have to weigh whether the roster is built to win a championship as currently constructed. If not, he’ll have a variety of options to pursue between now and the trade deadline.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac.