Without Markelle Fultz and Furkan Korkmaz, the injury to J.J. Redick shows just how thin the team on offense. As the trade deadline approaches, here are the latest NBA Trade rumors
The time is now for the Philadelphia 76ers. While the team is ramping up to a playoff run, their front office is content to pilot the roster as though the team is aiming at the top draft pick, again. It’s not enough that top-selection Markelle Fultz has been off the roster for virtually the entire season. Nor that rookie wing Furkan Korkmaz played a grand total of six games before a foot injury has him lost for the season.
Not even the fact that guard Jerryd Bayless, who missed nearly all season last year, has missed eight games already this season. But the team has had to endure the loss of shooting guard J.J. Redick twice this season. In fact, of 43 possible games, Redick has played 36 so far. By comparison, Joel Embiid has played in 34.
Time is now
The reason this is an issue now is the result of two factors. On one hand, the Philadelphia 76ers have an empty roster spot. Initially, the hope was that the team could use the slot to audition three-point shooters via 10-day contracts. But it was two weeks before the team pulled the trigger on a contract with guard Larry Drew. While Drew warrants a look with a 40.6 percent three-point shot for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the slow deliberate speed of the signing leaves a lot to be desired. Why the hesitation on a 10-day contract? In the end, the Sixers could be on a second 10-day contract if they had acted more quickly.
NBA Trade Option
Right now, these Philadelphia 76ers are in need of wing depth. Even when Redick returns, the team truly does not have a viable option to back him up. Yes, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is showing signs of progressing, and is the best option to start in Redick’s absense. But how can the team place post-season hopes entirely in the hands of someone who can go scoreless in one game, and yet come out and score 20 points in the next outing? By all rights, the team needs to reinforce their three-point shooting.
And the NBA Trade deadline is rapidly approaching.
The trade deadline is in two weeks and half of the NBA is pissed off. This could be epic.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) January 23, 2018
(Or really boring. You never really know in advance).
And with the trade deadline approaching, will the Sixers make a move?
NBA Trade Rumors
So what rumors are out there for the Philadelphia 76ers right now? Well so far, a couple are surfacing. In fact, Hoops Habit Gerald Bourguet has locked in on a trade rumor with places the Philadelphia 76ers in the market for Charlotte Hornets Kemba Walker. We asked the question if it made sense, and then followed that up with five reasons why it does make sense. Still, the trade scenario seems awfully expensive for the Philadelphia 76ers. Here is the suggested trade:
But that is just one scenario. Here is another one, courtesty of The Inquisitor’s Mark Wilson. In his assessment, the Orlando Magic face losing Aaron Gordon at the end of this season for nothing. So he believes that the Magic would definitely consider trading him away to get something for nothing. But the reciprocity of this is what can the Philadelphia 76ers give up to get him?
Magic Trade
Well, the Magic are drowning under the burden of Bismack Biyombo‘s guaranteed contract until 2020. So the proposed deal absorbs that devastating contract to the Philadelphia 76ers, and gets Aaron Gordon for a partial season. Here is how this one looks:
As you assess the impact of THIS trade, keep in mind that the true value to the Magic is swallowing the Biyombo contract. That frees up the Magic to be huge players in the 2018 free agent market. And while that chews up a huge chunk of free agent money for the 76ers in 2018-2019, they really need to have plenty of money at the end of the 2020 season to sign both Dario Saric and Ben Simmons.
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Now keep in mind that the Orlando Magic have already decided to “move on” from Gordon. So the value demands of acquiring him in any trade have deflated considerably. So from a trade perspective, this one looks like a go. And while Biyombo is incredibly overpaid, he does bring a post game behind Joel Embiid which the team is currently lacking. And he is a former Toronto Raptor player. You heard it here first.