Getty James Harden #1 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers look on during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center on December 09, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
December 15th has been a date circled on the calendars of general managers around the NBA for some time and Daryl Morey of the Philadelphia 76ers is no different. This date marks the point that recently signed players from this offseason are now eligible to be traded which widens up the list of potential targets on each roster. While certain players will have to wait until January 15th or a different date depending on their contract, 74 new players will be available starting tomorrow which will kick off the unofficial start to trade season. There is still plenty of time before the trade deadline on February 9th, but with teams finding their identity and identifying their needs, there may soon be some moving parts around the NBA in the near future.
Who Can Be Traded on Sixers?
The Sixers had an active offseason and each of their new additions will now be eligible to be repackaged. James Harden, P.J. Tucker, Montrezl Harrell, and Danuel House Jr. will each now be available for trade although it should be noted that Harden also has veto power on any potential deal. It seems unlikely the star guard will be actively shopped regardless.
It also is important to note that finances play a major role in deals in the NBA due to the league’s complex collective bargaining agreement and salary cap. The most basic part of this is that incoming and outgoing trade salaries must be close to matching. While keeping this in mind, it should be noted that Harden carries a $33 million cap hit, Tucker carries a $10.4 million cap hit, House Jr is $4.1 million, and Harrell’s cap is $2.4 million per Fanspo.
Sixers Salary Cap Table for the 2022-23 season:
Tobias Harris: $37.6 million
Joel Embiid: $33.6 million
James Harden: $33 million
PJ Tucker: $10.5 million
De’Anthony Melton: $8.3 million
Furkan Korkmaz: 5 million
Matisse Thybulle: $4.4 million
Danuel House Jr: $4.1 million
Sixers Trade Outlook
It has been difficult to assess the outlook of this Sixers team as injuries have been the most notable storyline to start the season. Through the first 27 games of the season, the expected starting unit of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Tucker, Harden, and Tobias Harris have played just 114 total game minutes together. The trio of Maxey, Harden, and Embiid have been active for just six games this season.
However, even when fully together the team has not looked to be the complete competitor it was hoped. Morey has prioritized giving the team flexibility moving forward to start this season. This drove the decision to release Isaiah Joe and Charles Bassey and the team currently is carrying an open roster spot.
Charles Bassey easy turnaround slam.
Due to their offseason moves, they are considered “hard-capped” which means they cannot surpass the $156,983,000 threshold at any point this season. As things currently stand, the Sixers are about $5.5 million under this threshold which gives them some room to spare. Although, they also are about $1.78 million over the luxury tax which some have theorized they may want to get underneath to save themselves financially.
The bottom line is there are some signs that the Sixers may have some plans in the works. While any sort of blockbuster move would be surprising, adding a key rotational piece could have a massive impact on the team. It will be interesting to see what route Morey elects to go as he does his best to improve the roster into a true championship contender. Things appear to be heating up around the NBA and don’t be surprised if the Sixers find themselves in the middle of these talks when everything is said and done.