NBA Trade Deadline 2020: 5 trades to help the rich get richer

2. Sixers take a big swing

Call it shortsighted team-building or just a bad fit that they tried to make work, but the Philadelphia 76ers find themselves in a minor conundrum at the NBA trade deadline. Yes, they are an immensely talented group led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and they’ll be a tough out for anyone come playoff time, particularly with the way they’ve been playing defensively. However, they lack a true shooting threat in their backcourt right now.

The trick for the 76ers is trying to answer that need while also not sacrificing anything that they’re doing on defense. It’s a tremendous balancing act that general manager Elton Brand must strike to try and jolt alive an offense that simply requires someone to handle the ball outside of Simmons but also to spread the floor and knock down shots from the perimeter.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have Philadelphia’s answer in Chris Paul.

Though he’ll turn 35 years old in the middle of the playoffs, Paul has proven in Oklahoma City that he still has some juice left in his game. He remains a tenacious perimeter defender, even if he’s not as physically dominant as he once was, and has continued to be an outside-shooting threat, converting on 37.2 percent of his 3-point attempts this season.

Paul has been called notoriously difficult at times as a teammate, but he’d also provide the 76ers with a veteran presence that could help a young team get over the hump. Meanwhile, the Thunder would get a usable piece to keep building with in Al Horford, along with young prospect Zhaire Smith to match salaries.