Sixers Pleaded to Trade Backup Big Man Following Controversial Stint

Getty Paul Reed of the Philadelphia 76ers

There has been much speculation surrounding what the Philadelphia 76ers will do at the NBA Trade Deadline. Among the names that have come up for the Sixers, Bryan Toporek of Liberty Ballers brought up a name that hasn’t been mentioned all that much: Paul Reed.

Toporek explained why he believes it’s in the Sixers’ best interest to trade Reed at the trade deadline.

“With Reed set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, the Sixers should be looking to move him ahead of the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline if Harrell has permanently jumped over him in the rotation. Otherwise, the asset-strapped Sixers will risk losing one of their only promising young players for nothing in the summer,” Toporek said.

Though Reed has appeared in 40 games for the Sixers this season, his role has not been too big, as he’s averaged 3.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in 9.4 minutes a game. Toporek brought up that this is much like how Reed was played last year, which led to much controversy with the Sixers and their backup centers.

“If you’re getting a sense of déjà vu, it’s because this exact scenario played out last season, too. Reed was in head coach Doc Rivers’ doghouse for most of the year, buried behind the exhumed corpses of DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap, neither of whom stood a prayer of playing playoff-caliber defense.”

Reed’s Past Playoff Performance

Toporek explained that Reed proved to be an effective backup center in the Sixers’ playoff matchups last year compared to Jordan and Millsap.

“The Sixers rarely got destroyed in his minutes, which has been long been their playoff Achilles heel with Embiid off the floor. He was a minus-10 or worse in only two of the Sixers’ 12 playoff games—the 15-point loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 of their first-round series and the Miami Heat’s 35-point beatdown in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.”

Toporek said that if Rivers doesn’t plan to play Reed in the playoffs much like he did last year, Reed would be better off on another team that would depend on him more.

“If Rivers doesn’t plan to play Reed in the playoffs, the Sixers would be better off moving him for reinforcements at the trade deadline. Sending Reed to a younger team could give him the chance to make a more consistent impact before he becomes a restricted free agent, while the Sixers could potentially fortify their playoff rotation.”

Reed Not Among Players Likely to be Traded

Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice reported that there were three players on the Sixers who were the most likely to be traded. While one of these players is a young center, the center in question was not Reed.

“In terms of potential outgoings, the most likely names to be sent out are Furkan Korkmaz, Danuel House Jr., and Jaden Springer, sources say, with the first two out of the rotation and the third never having cracked it,” Neubeck said.

While it’s possible Reed could potentially break through the rotation down the line this season, Neubeck reported that the Sixers are looking for a backup center on the trade market.

“Philadelphia already has three nominal bigs on the roster, including star center Embiid, but sources say they would be interested in acquiring a safer/more traditional backup to Embiid for certain matchups in the playoffs.”