The Sixer Sense
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The Four Most Likely Trades for Philadelphia 76ers Big Men

By Mike O'connor

Dec 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and forward Nerlens Noel (M) and forward Ben Simmons (R) during a timeout in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. The Toronto Raptors won 123.114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and forward Nerlens Noel (M) and forward Ben Simmons (R) during a timeout in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. The Toronto Raptors won 123.114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the Philadelphia 76ers big man log jam nearing a climax, it’s time to break out the fake trades. Let’s negotiate.

Noel to the Blazers

Why it happens:

The Blazers’ front office is clearly in “win-now” mode, which is only a good idea when you’re actually winning. Portland struggles mightily to defend the pick and roll. Synergy ranks them near the bottom in the league in points per posessions allowed. With a season-ending injury to Festus Ezeli and weak perimeter defense, the Blazers are in desperate need of a versatile defensive anchor. Despite an outlandish amount of spending this summer, Portland would be one Evan Turner trade away from being able to keep Nerlens long-term. A Noel, Damian Lillard, and C.J. McCollum nucleus is about as fun of a young core as you can find.

From the Sixers’ perspective, Allen Crabbe immediately becomes their best shooting guard prospect since Andre Iguodala. Crabbe’s 43 percent three point stroke, shrewd off-ball cutting, and improving perimeter defense would be a perfect fit to surround Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. See an example of the first two below: