Philadelphia 76ers will look to add playmakers at trade deadline

As expected, the Philadelphia 76ers will not sit idly as the trade deadline approaches.

The Philadelphia 76ers have lost four straight, dropping to 23-14 on the season and sixth in the Eastern Conference. It’s not time to panic, but it is time for a soul search. The Sixers need to find an identity, forge a path forward, and above all else, break the funk.

I’m still confident in Philadelphia’s ability to contend. Milwaukee has earned the No. 1 spot, but I’m not sure any other Eastern Conference frontrunner — Miami, Boston, Toronto, Indiana — has a clear upper hand in a hypothetical seven-game series.

When right, the Sixers are a defensive juggernaut. That hasn’t been the case recently, but the Sixers have showcased such potential before. When Al Horford‘s feet are mobile, the starting five doesn’t have many holes to exploit.

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The main issue is offense and how the Sixers fit. The conversation has naturally gravitated to Joel Embiid this, and Ben Simmons that, but the problem lies beyond those two. If anything, the Horford contract deserves a serious critical analysis — the front office seems to have miscalculated its priorities.

It’s not hard to conjure up a proper blueprint for building around Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Such a blueprint can easily include Tobias Harris, or Jimmy Butler, or J.J. Redick. It’s when you throw Horford into the mix — someone whose primary purpose is Embiid insurance — that you begin to walk a dangerous line.

Embiid and Horford haven’t clicked, and Horford’s recent slow-footedness is a concern in and of itself. The Sixers had the cap space to stockpile perimeter shooters and playmakers, but instead used $109 million on a 33-year-old center whose best attributes Philadelphia is ill-equipped to use.

I’m not saying it won’t work — it might, when all is said and done. But it was a bold departure from a proven formula, and it has placed more stress on Embiid’s individual workspace. It’s easier for teams to throw the kitchen sink at Embiid when the starting five consists of another center, a non-shooting point guard, and zero full-tilt chuckers.

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Sixers will attempt to declutter Embiid’s workspace at the deadline. Attempt. Per MacMahon, the Sixers will search the trade market for playmakers who can space the floor. The Sixers need shooters and ball-handlers like photosynthesis needs the sun, so such a report isn’t exactly surprising.

This is a buried lede, yes, but the Sixers are a complex and confusing team, so the lede follows suit. Never has a 23-14 team — one on pace for 50-odd wins — generated such angst. The Sixers are a frustrating, sometimes unbearable team, and they’re still good.

If the Sixers can add one or two meaningful contributors at the deadline, it qualifies as a major victory. The second unit isn’t stocked with trade assets and Philadelphia’s draft capital lacks pizzazz, but Elton Brand has pulled beneficial trades out of thin air before (see: James Ennis).

Ideally, an upgrade behind Ben Simmons is in order. Both Trey Burke and Raul Neto are fine regular season stopgaps, but a legitimate go-to playmaker who can hit threes, defend his position, and collapse defenses would greatly boost the second unit. Think Cory Joseph.

There are also cheap wings who populate the market. Alec Burks has assumed critical playmaking duties in Golden State. He should top Philadelphia’s target list. Malik Beasley in Denver will have more fervent due to his age/contract, but the Sixers should still make a bid.

The Sixers’ bench is still a weak point. The starting five is confusing, upsetting, and on paper, it doesn’t always make sense. It’s also a statistically successful lineup that, given time and practice, will probably work it out. Boosting the second unit, as much as anything, is an important step in Philadelphia’s progression.