NBA Trade Deadline portfolio: Philadelphia 76ers
Heading into the NBA’s Feb. 23 trade deadline, it’s time for Philadelphia 76ers team president Bryan Colangelo to live up to his “Man of Action” moniker.
With the Sixers coming off their first 10-win month in five years, Colangelo may prefer maintaining the status quo to avoid scuttling the team’s recent momentum. Philadelphia has the overwhelming Rookie of the Year favorite in Joel Embiid, while No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons, who suffered a foot fracture during the preseason, could make his debut after the All-Star break, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes. With the possibility of two top-10 picks in what some general managers are describing as the deepest draft class in a decade, per ESPN.com’s Chad Ford, just about everything is coming up Philadelphia.
Then again, Simmons’ return will only further clog an already crowded frontcourt.
Even with Embiid limited to no more than 28 minutes per game, Sixers head coach Brett Brown has been performing a season-long juggling act with his big men. Finding adequate minutes for Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric is damn near impossible in the games where Embiid plays, while promising second-year Bowling Green product Richaun Holmes is mostly an afterthought.(Embiid has a minor meniscus tear in his left knee, according to longtime Sixers beat writer Derek Bodner, but he’s still being considered day-to-day.)
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Even if Simmons has a minutes restriction once he makes his eventual debut, he’ll only put further strain on Brown’s rotation.
Though no deals are imminent, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Okafor has been a fixture of trade rumors lately. On Feb. 2, CSN Chicago’s Vincent Goodwill reported the Chicago Bulls have “inquired about the availability” of the former Duke product, although he noted there was “more interest on the Bulls’ side than the 76ers’ side.” A few days later, USA Today‘s Sam Amick reported the New Orleans Pelicans were in “serious trade talks” with Philadelphia to acquire Okafor, adding the Sixers were “known to have engaged with eight teams” regarding him. According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein and Marc J. Spears, the two teams were discussing a deal that would send him to New Orleans in exchange for Alexis Ajinca and a protected 2018 first-round draft pick.
The Sixers held Okafor out of Saturday night’s victory over the Miami Heat because trade negotiations were gaining momentum, per Turner Sports’ David Aldridge, which head coach Brett Brown confirmed after the game. It’s unclear whether those discussions involve New Orleans or another team, as RealGM’s Keith Smith reported “trade talks have advanced to a substantial point with at least two teams.”
Noel and Holmes have likewise popped up as potential trade targets in recent weeks, although no concrete proposals involving either have emerged (yet). In mid-January, Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler tweeted, “The vibe I got from the situation is [the] 76ers will move Nerlens before the deadline.” On Feb. 3, Smith reported there’s “very strong interest” in Holmes around the league, as teams are reportedly looking to take advantage of Philly’s frontcourt logjam. He added, however, the Sixers “would much prefer to move Noel or Okafor first.”
Got all of that? Good.
While Colangelo has dragged his feet on this decision up until now, he won’t have the luxury of doing so for much longer. If Noel doesn’t accept his one-year qualifying offer, he’ll become a restricted free agent in July, which will force the Sixers’ hand one way or the other.
“I don’t want to give someone away. I don’t want to let someone walk, but either one of those things might happen and it’s just by virtue of our circumstances,” Colangelo said during a Sixers broadcast on Jan. 21, per Rich Hofmann of PhillyVoice.com. “I’ve had a lot of dialogue with a lot of teams, I know what’s out there in the marketplace. There is interest in both of them, but if we’re going to make a deal, I want to make sure we make a deal that satisfies everybody in the equation.”
Dating back to the summer, Colangelo has repeatedly declared he wouldn’t make what he perceived as a bad trade involving either Noel or Okafor. While that stance is likely an obvious attempt at dissuading suitors from buy-low offers, Noel’s impending date with free agency does give other teams leverage over the Sixers in trade negotiations. Whether Philadelphia makes a move by Feb. 23, the day of the 2017 draft or during free agency, the team cannot realistically have all three of the Embiid-Noel-Okafor trio in its future plans.
If Colangelo does decide to move either Noel or Okafor before the trade deadline, he’ll likely pursue young guards or wings and/or draft picks in return. Though the Sixers are overly crowded in the frontcourt, there’s plenty of room for improvement among their backcourt. Second-year point guard T.J. McConnell has impressed since moving into the starting lineup (particularly for a former undrafted free agent), but he profiles more as a backup than a permanent answer at floor general. Sergio Rodriguez, who turns 31 in June, likely won’t be back next season, while Jerryd Bayless is out for the year with a torn ligament in his left wrist.
Robert Covington has rediscovered his shooting stroke after an early-season slump, but Philly lacks dependable depth behind him, as rookie Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot remains a work in progress. Nik Stauskas provides some scoring pop to the Sixers’ starting lineup, but he’s an outright disaster on defense. Gerald Henderson has performed admirably during his first season back in his hometown—he’s shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range, a career best—but like Rodriguez, the 29-year-old shouldn’t figure into Philadelphia’s long-term future.
The Sixers could have two top-10 draft picks in June—their own and the Los Angeles Lakers’, so long as it falls outside of the top three—so they’ll have a chance to bolster their backcourt rotation by selecting someone like Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Dennis Smith Jr., Malik Monk or DeAaron Fox regardless of what they do at the trade deadline. Flipping either Noel or Okafor for a young guard or a wing could further accelerate their timetable.
Ilyasova stands out as the other likeliest trade candidate in Philadelphia, as he’ll join Rodriguez in unrestricted free agency this summer. However, the 29-year-old is putting up career-best numbers and particularly excels alongside Embiid, so the Sixers shouldn’t be in any rush to move him. Losing Ilyasova for nothing in free agency wouldn’t be a devastating setback for the franchise, although if a contender is willing to flip something of value for him, Colangelo should remain open to it.
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However Colangelo goes about doing it, breaking up the team’s frontcourt glut should be his primary focus between now and Feb. 23. Beyond that, the Sixers should proceed with caution if attempting to consolidate their other assets, as there’s little reason to pursue a win-now move with Embiid and Simmons still in their formative NBA years.