Getty Head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers.
And just like that, the Philadelphia 76ers have put themselves right back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. Winners of six straight, Philadelphia has taken care of business at home lately, with the league’s third-best defense and fourth-best three-point percentage over that stretch, thanks in part to Tobias Harris‘ spot-on Seth Curry impression of late.
It was just weeks ago that the situation in Philly looked grim. James Harden went down with a foot injury, followed by Tyrese Maxey. Joel Embiid showed glimpses of MVP play but was clearly playing his way back into form on the court. And PJ Tucker couldn’t hit a corner three if his life depended on it.
But with Philadelphia looking like the contender many thought they’d be at the start of the season, the team should be scouring the market for a player to bolster its title chances. And according to Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, that player might just be Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso.
“The guy to watch is (Alex) Caruso,” one Eastern Conference GM told Deveney. “If [Chicago] can get some draft capital back for Caruso, and maybe a player, that would suit them. Teams like Phoenix or Miami, both would be in a position to make a trade like that. Even the Warriors, they could send out a young guy, a guy like (James) Wiseman to get into win-now mode.
“Philadelphia, same thing, they could offer some of their young guys—Matisse Thybulle, Shake (Milton) and add another guy to make the salaries work. The Lakers certainly would like to have him back if they had the young guys to do it.”
That Philadelphia has an interest in Caruso isn’t surprising. But it would be another thing altogether for the Sixers to pull off a trade for the former Texas A&M Aggie.
Do the Sixers Have Enough Assets to Land Caruso?
Caruso has two things in his favor. First, he’s a decent two-way player, connecting on 37.3 percent of his threes this season with a defensive box plus/minus of 3.1, second in the league behind reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Second, Caruso is dirt cheap by NBA salary standards, bringing in just $9 million this season. That figure won’t balloon anytime soon; he’s in the second year of a four-year, $36 million deal with a player option in the fourth year.
The Sixers are currently hard-capped as a result of signing Danuel House, Jr. to the bi-annual exception over the summer, leaving them with just about $5.5 million in wiggle room right now. But Philadelphia could easily get to $9 million by adding Matisse Thybulle ($4.3 million) and another youngster, like Shake Milton, Paul Reed, or Jaden Springer, who each make between $1.7 million and $2 million. That gives Chicago a bevy of potential young talent it needs to ignite a full-on rebuild.
If this is not team chemistry I don’t know what is
Sixers vibes are high 📈💦
But according to Deveney, that’s not all Chicago wants. If the season ended today, the Bulls would be without a first-round pick after sending its own 2023 first (top-four protected) to the Orlando Magic in the Nikola Vucevic swap. So the Bulls, facing a potential tear-down, must be keen on adding draft capital, something the Sixers are unfortunately light on until 2027.
Adding a player like Caruso wouldn’t come cheap for Philadelphia. But the Sixers’ playoff window is closing, thanks to a suddenly revamped Eastern Conference.
How Much Longer Will the Sixers’ Playoff Window Stay Open
It wasn’t long ago that Philadelphia habitually trotted out some of the youngest (read: inexperienced) lineups in the NBA. But with The Process in the rearview mirror, the team is suddenly getting up there in age.
The team’s usual starting five features three players over thirty: PJ Tucker, Tobias Harris, and James Harden. Embiid turns 29 in March, leaving just the effervescent Tyrese Maxey to bring the team’s median age down. That means the time to win in Philadelphia is N-O-W.
The only problem? The Eastern Conference is as loaded as ever. Long gone are the days in which LeBron James’ team was penciled in as the East’s Finals representative. The Celtics (22-9), Bucks (22-10), and Cavaliers (22-11) currently rule the conference.
sneaky Tisse. 🥷
And if you think Philadelphia’s six-game winning streak is nice, buckle up. The Cavs are on a five-game streak, the fourth-place Nets are at seven in a row, and the fifth-place Knicks were on an eight-game bender before dropping one to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
All of this to say: the Sixers face potentially the toughest playoff gauntlet in the Joel Embiid era. Can the team as presently constructed run the table? Only time will tell, but it doesn’t look like the team’s foes are going away lightly.