5 non-star trades Sixers can make to contend
The Philadelphia 76ers are 23-12, which places third in the Eastern Conference. That is right in line with expectations. Heck, the Sixers might be a tad ahead of schedule post-James Harden. Joel Embiid has emerged as the MVP favorite, Tyrese Maxey is a bonafide All-Star candidate, and the Sixers' depth around their current stars has never been better.
Daryl Morey is a notoriously aggressive market manipulator. If the Sixers' title window is open, even a little bit, he is going to operate with one goal in mind. Philadelphia has a ton of tradeable contracts and even a couple first-round picks to throw around. On the other hand, the Sixers can also clear north of $60 million in cap space next summer. The Sixers could struggle to balance their win-now aspirations with the potential to strike gold in free agency.
Right now, the odds are against Philadelphia making a star addition via trade. Names like Zach LaVine and Pascal Siakam are floating around, but neither is a particularly great fit. Dejounte Murray is on the radar, but he's not the defender he once was. Donovan Mitchell is a pipe dream. The Sixers don't have the assets for Lauri Markkanen. And so it goes...
That said, one would expect the Sixers to pursue marginal growth to elevate their competitive profile. The Bucks and Celtics aren't invincible and any team with Joel Embiid has at least an outside shot at winning it all. Here are a few consequential trade propositions to improve Philadelphia's title odds.
5. Sixers can trade for Nets' Dennis Smith Jr.
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Nick Nurse has ignored KJ Martin to an unexpected degree since his arrival in Philadelphia. That said, teams should still take interest in the bouncy 23-year-old who started 49 games for the Houston Rockets last season. In fact, the Sixers could address a position of need while also recouping a draft pick in this scenario.
The Brooklyn Nets are stuck in NBA no-man's land, too talented to tank but too deprived of star power to actually compete. As it turns out, Mikal Bridges isn't so well suited to No. 1 duties. Brooklyn needs another dude. In the meantime, swinging for upside on a role player of Martin's ilk is sensible. He's a talented rim finisher and workable shooter whose defensive versatility at 6-foot-6 portends long-term value.
In exchange, the Sixers get Dennis Smith Jr., the 26-year-old former lottery pick who has bounced around the league the last few years. He is signed to a one-year, $2 million minimum contract. It hasn't been the most efficient scoring season for Smith — 7.5 points and 4.2 assists on .418/.273/.828 splits in 19.4 minutes — but he's a legitimate ancillary ball-handler and he's quietly one of the best second-unit defenders in the NBA.
The Sixers desperately need a backup point guard. Outside of Tyrese Maxey, the only other "ball-handlers" on the roster are Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Patrick Beverley. That's asking a lot of all three. Smith wouldn't play a ton of minutes, but he's easy to peg as a ninth or 10th cog in the rotation. His ability to hit spot 3s, attack downhill, and limit turnovers on offense are useful. Combine that with an excellent on-ball defense, however, and he's probably an upgrade over Beverley and a potential postseason staple.