Getty President of basketball operations Daryl Morey responds during a press conference at the Seventy Sixers Practice Facility on February 15, 2022 in Camden, New Jersey.
The Philadelphia 76ers appear to be back on the right track as they have now improved their record to 7-7 on the season. However, there have been some notable issues with the roster that still have shown face in the early stages of the season. The Sixers also have an open roster spot as they elected to come into the season with only 14 rostered players. The decisions to release Charles Bassey and Isaiah Joe further point toward Philadelphia intending on making another move at some point this season.
However, there are some concerns about what assets the Sixers have to work with in this situation. HoopsHype recently compiled a ranking of the assets of each NBA team with the Sixers falling at 17th. As the article stated:
“The Sixers have three core players in Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and James Harden all of whom bring a ton of value to the Sixers on the court and in terms of their trade value. They lack other future promising young talent and only have four of their own first-round picks over the next seven drafts, only one of which they can trade at the moment. If they need to make significant changes, it may have to start with moving one of their top players,” per Yossi Gozlan of Hoops Hype.
The article also mentioned Tyrese Maxey, Jaden Springer, De’Anthony Melton, and Matisse Thybulle as notable players 25 or under who could bring back value.
What Do the Sixers Need?
While trading Embiid, Harden, or Maxey would bring back a haul in return, the Sixers are committed to building around the trio at this moment. The team is currently focused on pursuing a championship with this core as the main building blocks. While there are still some growing pains of their learning to play with each other, this is the type of core that just about any team would be happy to have as its foundation.
The complementary pieces surrounding them are still what appears to still be a work in progress. P.J. Tucker was the prized addition of the offseason but has slightly underwhelmed and is not capable of matching up with every opponent’s best player in the way he has been tasked early this season. Melton has been a welcomed addition but has also exposed the lack of ball handlers on the roster.
Top players in Matchup Difficulty so far this season (min 100 minutes):
1. Deni Avdija
2. Dorian Finney-Smith
3. PJ Tucker
4. Dillon Brooks
5. Herb Jones
6. Lu Dort
7. Naji Marshall
8. Jimmy Butler
Leaderboards Tool:
t.co/JKt6Rp3lWQ
Matchup Difficulty Explainer 🔊⬇️
As currently constructed Harden, Maxey, Melton, and Shake Milton are the only rotation players capable of serving as a primary ball-handler. This has been further exposed by Harden’s ligament injury and Melton being in and out of the lineup in recent games. Adding another ball-handler as well as another capable two-way wing should be on Daryl Morey’s radar. Doc Rivers also has not appeared to be fully satisfied with the backup center play from either Paul Reed or Montrezl Harrell so it cannot be ruled out that the Sixers may seek an upgrade at the big man position as well.
Who Would Sixers be Willing to Trade?
The most common name when discussing potential trades is Matisse Thybulle. The 25-year-old has made his impact felt on the defensive end but still has yet to improve his perimeter shooting and overall offensive game. Thybulle played less than six minutes over the first five games but has seen extended time, including starting three games, since this stretch. It is important to note that Thybulle is in the final year of his contract which limits his value. His offensive deficiencies have been put on display before and it appears unlikely a team would view him as their missing postseason piece because of this.
The Sixers can’t play Matisse Thybulle in this series. His defense hasn’t come close to offsetting his offensive limitations.
They’re playing 4-on-5 offensively with him out there.
Jaden Springer could also be an intriguing piece but has not flashed enough to catch the attention of many teams. While he was considered a steal in the draft when the Sixers selected him 28th overall in the 2021 draft, he has played just 10 total minutes at the NBA level since this time. It likely would take a rebuilding team who liked Springer prior to the draft for Philadelphia to receive any type of asset in return.
Furkan Korkmaz and Georges Niang have fairly tradeable contracts and shooting continues to be at a premium in the modern NBA. Neither of them carries the demand to pull a massive return, but stacking these players for a better-fitting piece that brings out the best in the Sixers stars could be possible.
Georges Niang hit 7️⃣ three pointers in the Philadelphia 76ers’ 100-88 win over the Phoenix Suns tonight. #CyclonesInTheNBA
Morey has never been a general manager willing to sit around without making the roster better. While they may not have a ton of options to trade, the extra roster spot and cap flexibility nearly ensures this will be the case. It will be up to the 2018 NBA Executive of the Year to work some magic and find the missing pieces to ensure the Sixers have the best chance at postseason success.