Could Philadelphia 76ers get fair value for Joel Embiid from New Orleans?

While splitting the Philadelphia 76ers two stars is an option for the franchise, they have to make sure they fair value in return.

Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently wrote an article titled, “7 Trade Packages and Landing Spots for NBA’s Top Offseason Trade Targets“. There were some trades that made sense in that article, however, the hypothetical trade concerning the Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid that Swartz came up with didn’t seem reasonable.

In the article, he suggested that the Sixers should execute a sign-and-trade that would send Embiid to the New Orleans Pelicans for Brandon Ingram. Clearly, this wouldn’t be even close to being a fair trade for Embiid. However, could the Pelicans offer a fair trade for the franchise big man if they wanted to?

They probably could, but even if they did, let me first echo the sentiments of my fellow co-site expert Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense recently wrote.

"“First and foremost, no. The Sixers should absolutely not trade Embiid.”"

I believe if surrounded by the right pieces, Embiid and Ben Simmons could work as a duo. They naturally don’t fit together because their skills somewhat overlap on offense, but they are two generational talents that the 76ers should try to fit together. However, if that becomes too big of an obstacle to overcome and the Sixers do decide to trade Embiid, then the Pelicans might be able to offer some legit value for the big man.

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It should be noted that it’s not like Embiid would be a perfect fit in New Orleans either, as mrportcity_318 commented on Swartz’s article. Embiid would take up space in the paint from Zion Williamson and he wouldn’t thrive in the Pelicans fast-pace offense. Ignoring the fit issues, even if the Sixers and Pelicans wanted to do a trade that sends Embiid to New Orleans, Swartz’s hypothetical deal isn’t a fair one for the Sixers.

In sort, the Pelicans are going to have to do better than just one young player that had his first All-Star appearance to land a franchise level player like Embiid. Don’t be mistaken, this isn’t to disparage level of player that Ingram is proving to be. He looks to be an elite young player that is showing the potential to become a multiple-time All-Star.

He’d be a great compliment to Simmons if traded to the Sixers, however, he’s not the same level of star as Embiid is, as Kline also wrote. The Pelicans would have to sweeten this deal built around Ingram. Below is a potential trade that might make the Sixers consider trading Embiid.

Ingram, Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, 2020 first round pick and 2023 first round pick (better between Pelicans and Lakers, per RealGM) isn’t a bad haul for Embiid. It’s also something that New Orleans might be open to doing.

Personally, I probably still wouldn’t trade Embiid for the same reasons I listed earlier in this article. However, this hypothetical trade above is a solid package for Embiid and it’s something Philly’s front office would have to seriously consider if they are looking to move the big man.

Next. A hard pass on Brandon Ingram sign-and-trade. dark

In the event that the Philadelphia 76ers decides to trade Embiid, the Pelicans seem like an unlikely destination due to the fact that he wouldn’t fit on their roster well. Even if both sides wanted to send him to New Orleans, the Pelicans would have to give up much more than just Ingram to get a deal done.