Philadelphia 76ers: Trade Odds And Ends

The Philadelphia 76ers may be one one of the most bizarre teams when it comes to trade options and trade components, so we’re breaking down what the team has to offer and gain at the deadline.

The Philadelphia 76ers have been going at rebuilding their franchise in an incredibly unconventional manner, and Sam Hinkie, the team’s general manager, has been at the helm of most of their trades and moves. This season, Jerry Colangelo will undoubtedly be looking over his shoulder and guiding his every move, but I still wouldn’t be surprised to see some action at the trade deadline this season, even if it is a bit more conservative.

Last year, trading away Michael Carter-Williams was one of the team’s most questionable moves, and it’s still not clear how that move has paid off, since the Sixers got a draft pick that has yet to be used for Carter-Williams.

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Speaking of that draft pick, it’s one of the many things the Sixers can use in trades this season. There has been some confusion regarding that pick–it’s the Lakers’ first round pick for the upcoming draft–since it’s top-3 protected. What this means is that if it falls inside the top-3, the Lakers still get to use it. If the pick is 4th or higher, the Sixers will claim it. Now, if it ends up being top-3, it doesn’t go completely to waste, because the Sixers can claim it in 2018 with no protection.

There has been some talk of striking up a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, since they reportedly have put D’Angelo Russell, a point guard the Sixers were very interested in for this year’s draft, on the trading block. Some have posed the trade that follows (or a close variation of the trade):

Lakers get Jahlil Okafor
Sixers get D’Angelo Russell
Sixers get the protection taken off of the Lakers’ first round pick for this season, meaning they could potentially have two of the top three first draft picks

Now, there was some question as to if the Lakers could even unprotect the pick at first, but that has since been cleared up. There is a rule, that if the pick wasn’t originally yours, and it was protected when you received the pick, you can not unprotect the pick when you trade it. The Sixers actually have this pick via the Phoenix Suns–the trade was a three-team trade–so the Suns couldn’t unprotect it, but I wasn’t sure if the Lakers could do anything with it since it had been taken from their possession.

After doing some asking around, Bobby Marks, and NBA Insider, informed me that the Lakers can still unprotect it if they would like to. This opens up a lot of doors for the Sixers, as it would be nice to get that pick unprotected since it looks as if the Lakers will be grabbing the worst record in the NBA this year, with the current trends of teams. The Sixers are projected to be the second worst, so it would be incredible for Philly to have the first and second overall picks of the draft.

Of course, since the NBA Draft order is determined by a lottery, and not straight up record, even if they finish 30th and 29th in overall records, they still probably won’t get the first and second pick.

The Sixers also have the Oklahoma City Thunder’s and the Miami Heat’s first round draft pick in this upcoming draft, and in 2017 they have their own (or the Sacramento Kings’ pick, whichever is better) pick that they can barter.

On top of the endless opportunities they have with these picks, they can, of course, trade any players they currently have just like any other team. There’s a market out there for Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel, both players that have been brought up as future trade components since they probably can’t both fit with Joel Embiid and Dario Saric when they are healthy and on the team.

Other than that, there’s not much of a market out there for Sixers players. Some teams might be interested in Isaiah Canaan or Robert Covington, but the team can’t get much back for them. Ish Smith would churn up some value, but it wouldn’t make sense to trade him since the Sixers themselves traded for him a little over a month ago.

Next: What Can Colangelo Tell Us About Trade Strategy?

If I had to say anything about the trade deadline this year, it would be not to expect much, despite the usual trend of Sam Hinkie and his way of doing things. Jerry Colangelo breathing down his neck and the criticism he would get for moving a key player right now would be enough to steer him away from making any big moves. If he does make a move, though, I would expect it to be with the draft picks–likely not with the Lakers’ pick.