Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Philadelphia 76ers are assembling a star-studded roster around LeBron James and Joel Embiid for an immediate title push.
- New president Mike Gansey is exploring aggressive trades to address depth and durability concerns on the front line.
- The next moves will test Gansey's willingness to trade valuable draft assets for players who can step in when Embiid is sidelined.
LeBron James agreed to a two-year, $8 million minimum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, a sentence that still has not pierced my brain tissue as a statement of reality. James will team up with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and fellow newcomer Jaylen Brown in an attempt to end a title drought of over four decades in Philadelphia.
While the Sixers are financially hamstrung after their aggressive offseason, new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey has proven that he's nothing if not aggressive. Philly needs to clear two roster spots for LeBron and recent signee Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, which could mean waiving the non-guaranteed contracts of Jabari Walker and Dalen Terry. It could also mean salary-dumping Johni Broome. Once the next few dominoes fall, however, what's to stop Philadelphia from pushing a few more chips in? With LeBron, it's full-steam ahead with a very tight title window. Here are a few small (but potentially meaningful) trade options.
76ers trade package for Thomas Sorber
Oklahoma City re-signed Isaiah Hartenstein this offseason and selected Michigan 7-footer Aday Mara with the 12th overall pick. With Jaylin Williams and Chet Holmgren also occupying the center position in OKC, the path is increasingly narrow for 2025 first-round pick Thomas Sorber, who underwent a second knee surgery this summer.
While Sorber is a promising talent and a real potential contributor, OKC has depth to manage and a tendency to spin assets forward, as Sam Presti is always backfilling his stockpile. Trading Sorber for four second-round picks and a more durable power forward option in Dominick Barlow, who proved his mettle as a rebounder and defender last season, is probably good business. Terry would either be waived or traded again, presumably.
The Sixers can add Sorber, who crushed the defensive glass at Georgetown (21.9 DReb%) and caused constant disruptions on defense (7.9 BLK%, 2.7 STL%). This is an upside swing, as Sorber needs to prove that he can actually get on the floor. But while it may seem counterintuitive to gamble resources on a rookie in a do-or-die season, if Sorber can get healthy and realize his potential as an offensive connector and defensive anchor, he immediately becomes Philadelphia's most impactful backup to Joel Embiid.
Considering how flimsy Embiid's health is historically, the Sixers probably shouldn't lean so heavily on Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti, two uber-athletic defenders who can't really stay on the floor long without running into foul trouble. Sorber's baseline feel is very intriguing for a center and he's 20 years old, with the potential to grow into a long-term piece in Philly.
76ers trade package for Leonard Miller
The Sixers can take a similar swing on Bulls forward Leonard Miller, who arrived in Chicago last season as part of the Ayo Dosunmu trade with Minnesota. Leonard was a second-round pick by the Wolves in 2023. He dominated the G League for a couple years, but found playing time hard to come by in a crowded Minnesota frontcourt. The Bulls let him off the leash a bit mid-tank this past season, with Leonard averaging 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists on .555/.356/.762 splits in 23.1 minutes down the stretch. He appeared in 27 games for the Bulls, including 12 starts.
Miller still hasn't proven himself in a competitive environment after four years in the NBA, but he's only 22 and the upside has always been readily apparent. He's a long, nimble forward who crashes the glass and scores fruitfully in transition, where the Sixers figure to dominate opponents with LeBron, Brown, Maxey and Edgecombe — all of whom love to run the floor.
The cost would be Terry's non-guaranteed contract and three second-round picks. The Bulls are going to be hard-pressed to find minutes for Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue, their 2025 first-round pick, in the frontcourt, Much less Miller, who needs to prove his mettle on defense and show that he can hit 3s consistently against NBA competition. The Sixers need more viable options at the four spot. Miller's size and versatility, in theory, could prove quite valuable in the second unit. He's worth the swing, as Philly has a ton of second-round picks to trade from.
76ers trade package for Yves Missi
If the Sixers want to aim higher without doing funky stuff higher up the cap sheet, Pelicans third-year center Yves Missi is an obvious target. New Orleans has staunchly rejected past overtures for Missi, with a rumored asking price of a first-round pick. That is understandably steep for a rim-running center who hasn't played huge minutes and who is stuck in developmental purgatory in New Orleans. That said, Missi made huge gains as a sophomore and was clearly the Pelicans' best center last season, despite a flashy rookie campaign from Derik Queen.
If Philly wants to unload its 2027 first-round pick (which takes place in a weak draft and would presumably feature a lottery protection of some kind), there's a good chance Missi proves more valuable in the long haul. It would be particularly valuable in the short term, however. There's overlap in the skill sets of Missi, Bona and Hukporti, but Missi is clearly a level above.
He's a monster shot-blocker (3.8 BLK%, in the 95th percentile for centers last season), with a steadfast presence on the offensive glass. He can get up the floor and thrive in transition next to Philadelphia's fast-break gunners. Unlike Bona and Hukporti, he can defend the rim without fouling at an unsustainable rate. He averaged 19.7 minutes per game last season but 26.8 minutes as a rookie, when he started in 67 of 73 appearances for the Pelicans. Missi is someone the Sixers can trust full stop when Embiid misses time.
Broome is pure salary filler, with Missi absorbed into the $4.2 million Jared McCain traded player exception (TPE). It could take even more than a first- and second-round pick to get this deal across the finish line, but it's the sort of last-second upgrade Gansey and the front office need to strongly consider to finalize this roster.
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