The Sixer Sense
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NBA Rumors Indicate Sixers May Have to Wait to Trade Big Man

By Josh Wilson

Apr 13, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) backs down on Indiana Pacers center Jordan Hill (27) during the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe (15) backs down on Indiana Pacers center Jordan Hill (27) during the second quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA rumors are showing just how hard it is to get a good value for a big man in the NBA right now, which is not good for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers have desperately been trying to shop their big men around to clear a frontcourt logjam that has been put in place over the last several seasons, since the team drafted for best available, and not for team fit.

The Sixers drafted Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, and Jahlil Okafor over the last several seasons, and all three of them are big men that are best suited to play the center position. All three of them, given that they reach their original projected potential, could be starter caliber in the NBA. The problem, however, is that even if you put one of them in as a power forward, and one as a center, there’s still not enough minutes to go around.

The trade rumors started for the Sixers at the trade deadline. The Boston Celtics were rumored to have been close on acquiring rookie center Jahlil Okafor, but a deal did not go through. Once the season ended, Jeff Teague from the Atlanta Hawks for Nerlens Noel was rumored, but also never happened.

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During the draft, it was rumored that the Sixers were talking to just about every team in the top five picks of the draft, looking to get another lottery pick for one of their big men.

Now, August is here, but so are all three of the big men. Joel Embiid is unlikely to be traded, his trade value is very small since he missed the first two years of his career due to injury, but Jahlil or Nerlens still could go.

Recent rumors regarding Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe show that it may be tough to get anything in return for those guys, however.

Zach Lowe, speaking about the Bucks moving Monroe, said this in his podcast, The Lowe Post (the quote was transcribed by Frank Madden of Brew Hoop).

"The Bucks are still looking to find a taker for Greg Monroe and it sounds like they’ve spoken to the Pelicans about him this offseason. “I think [the Bucks] got closer than maybe has been reported with New Orleans during either the draft or free agency,” ESPN’s Zach Lowe said during today’s episode of The Lowe Post podcast (54:25 mark for the relevant portion). “Monroe’s a New Orleans native,” ESPN’s Marc Stein added. “I think that’s where he wants to end up.”"

Monroe is a solid center (and a veteran, to add to that) that scored 15.3 points and brought in 8.8 rebounds per game last season. Add on his 2.3 assists per game, and he puts up numbers that are incredibly valuable, so it seems.

His numbers are quite similar to those of the Sixers’ Jahlil Okafor.

Related Story: How the Sixers Big Man Logjam May End

Things really don’t look to promising for the Bucks to move Monroe and get a great deal. Although it makes sense for them to get rid of him, the team they’re trying to ship him off to is the New Orleans Pelicans, who already have a big man in Anthony Davis. It looks like the Bucks have accepted their fate of getting a low value for Monroe, simply because they need to move him.

I’m not trying to say that the Sixers will be forever unable to get a good deal for their big men, but Bryan Colangelo is overvaluing the big men now so that they don’t get cheated on a deal. If the Sixers were keen on accepting the fate that they need to move a big man, they would be dealing with the same dried up market that the Bucks are working with, but on an even smaller scale since their players are so young and undeveloped.

The Bulls made sense for a while for Jahlil Okafor, in a similar fashion to Monroe since he grew up there, but now, teams all have their big men, and it just doesn’t seem like these guys are going anywhere for much of a price.

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It seems like the best option at this point is for the Sixers to wait it out until the trade deadline and see if they get any bites. The rumors will keep coming in regarding the Sixers and other teams moving big men, but who knows what the future is at this point.