The Sixer Sense
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Sixers Need to Pay Attention to Rumors Around the League

By Josh Wilson

Dec 26, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (right) talks with center Jahlil Okafor against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (right) talks with center Jahlil Okafor against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia 76ers need to pay attention to NBA rumors to gauge interest and value on their big men, who they will have to trade at least one of.

The Philadelphia 76ers should be one of the busiest teams making phone calls for potential trades from here on out to February 23rd, the day of the NBA Trade Deadline, at least in theory. The Sixers have a huge issue of having too many big men on their roster that don’t fit well together as far as play style is concerned.

That said, team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo has not been all that busy, at least not from what we’ve heard around the league. While it seems important to trade a big man and dedicate to their core before the offseason, he has approached the situation with a relaxed mindset.

Perhaps he’s doing that to put on a front, and make the league think the the team is in no rush to trade a big. After all, their tenacity to trade a big man would make them seem more desperate than they are — they’re quite desperate, I’m sure — and gives them less power in negotiating a good deal.

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It’s generally accepted around the league that the Sixers are going to get a low return for their big men because of how their issues with too many bigs have been so broadcasted.

What the Sixers need to do to make sure that they don’t get completely ripped off in whatever deal they end up taking is keeping tabs on NBA trade rumors.

For instance, Gery Woelfel recent reported that the Bucks are trying to trade their backup center Greg Monroe. While the Bucks have tried and tried again to trade Monroe — something that is not an encouraging sign as the Sixers are looking to trade bigs that are similar to Monroe — they are still trying to shop him around the league,

The Sixers need to monitor situations like this, and make a note for what details are reported. What is the potential return for a player like Monroe? How does that return stack up to the Sixers’ big men? Should they bring in more value? Less value?

The same teams that may be in discussion with the Bucks about Monroe could potentially be in discussion with the Sixers later about their big men if a deal falls through with Milwaukee. The same could be said for other bigs that are rumored to be on the trading block.

Next: Could Similar Issues Lead to Philly/Boston Trade?

While those teams could leverage the fact that the Sixers need to move a big, the Sixers could point to whatever teams were willing to give up for Monroe, and potentially leverage that information. While rumors about other teams won’t directly involve the Sixers, they need to be paying attention to the context of other rumors around the league and gauge the interest of other similar big men.