5 non-star trades Sixers can make to contend

4. Sixers can trade for Raptors' Dennis Schroder

Another potential solution to the backup point guard problem arrives from within the Atlantic Division. The Toronto Raptors are on the verge of finally rebuilding. Masai Ujiri is working hard to keep the Raptors relevant, but the inevitable Pascal Siakam trade feels like a genuine inflection point. Siakam is the last meaningful holdover from the championship team. A potential Siakam trade points to Toronto hitting the reset button.

If the Raptors deal Siakam, that should make several veterans on the roster available for the right price. Dennis Schroder would immediately elevate the Sixers' second unit. He has been a starter-level point guard for a while now. He was important to the Los Angeles Lakers' conference finals run last season and he has been productive for an otherwise iffy Raptors offense, averaging 14.6 points and 6.8 assists on .448/.348/.841 splits in 31.9 minutes.

Schroder's minutes haven't taken much of a hit since Immanuel Quickley's arrival, but Toronto now has a younger ball-handler in house. The 30-year-old Schroder has spent the last few games coming off the bench. If he's going to be demoted, he would surely prefer to contend for a championship. Schroder would move the needle for Philadelphia.

There are natural limitations to any skinny 6-foot-1 guard, but Schroder is a walking paint touch. His slick drives, combined with a low turnover rate (1.6 per game), is a favorable combination for the Sixers. Maxey would still benefit from attacking off the catch now and then, while the Sixers' non-Maxey lineups desperately need a guard that can compromise the defense and create for others. There is too much on Embiid's plate right now.

Toronto won't give up Schroder for cheap, but Paul Reed's promise as a young, athletic interior defender should make the deal easier for the Raptors to stomach. Especially with Jakob Poeltl's uninspiring play at center. Add a first-round pick and Furkan Korkmaz's expiring contract, and the Raptors should at least consider it.