Sixers rumors: Philadelphia is logical destination for Chris Paul

By Christopher Kline | Sep 8, 2020

Al Horford | Sixers (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

The Sixers have the salary filler to trade for Chris Paul. Can it happen?

I have written multiple times about Chris Paul and his splendid fit in South Philly. He’s someone the Sixers should ardently pursue — a veteran superstar who can take them from aimless wanderers to top-tier contenders.

The potential downside of a Paul trade is vast. He’s 35 years old and will not get any younger next season. With that said, the Sixers are stuck in mud, unsure of where to go next. With no cap space and minimal opportunity to mine star power out of a bloated tax sheet, a home-run swing for Paul is one of the few appealing options on the table.

In a recent episode of ESPN’s Hoop Collective Podcast, the idea of Paul to Philadelphia was brought up by names more plugged in than me — Brian Windhorst and Royce Young.

More from Rumors

"“I look at three teams. Bobby knows better than me, but I look at three teams as the most likely destinations — Philly, the Knicks, and Milwaukee. Those are the three teams that I think are logical places.” — Young"

This is mostly speculative, and there’s no guarantee OKC trades Paul this offseason. With a slew of draft picks over the next several years, the Thunder don’t need to conduct a standard rebuild. They can keep Paul, make another run at the postseason, and use the upcoming pipeline of draft picks to build for the post-CP3 era.

With that said, the Sixers can give OKC even more draft picks, which could appeal to them. With Danilo Gallinari’s future uncertain as well, the Thunder could look for a hard reset this summer, in turn opening the door for a Paul trade. The Sixers should happily part with picks if it yields CP3.

For Philadelphia, any Paul trade will revolve around Al Horford or Tobias Harris. On one hand, Harris is younger and more aligned with Philadelphia’s (and OKC’s) core. On the other hand, his contract is longer and has significantly more guaranteed money. Harris has four years of max money left, while Horford’s contract has three remaining years — with the final year only a partial guarantee.

In the event of a Paul trade, the Sixers should probably let OKC have their pick. If the Thunder want to feature Harris as a building block next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, go for it. If OKC would rather slot Horford behind Steven Adams in the short term, with no plan to extend Adams next season, go for it.

The Sixers can get more out of Harris than Horford. Contract and everything, the preferred outcome is a starting five of Paul — Richardson — Harris — Simmons — Embiid. That is a starting five that can contend at the highest level.

Philadelphia would probably need to part with the No. 21 pick (which originally belonged to OKC), as well as future first-round picks. Matisse Thybulle, Shake Milton, and Zhaire Smith would all be on the table as well. The Sixers cannot get hung up over a non-shooting rookie if the return is a top-20 player.

Next. Eight possible trades to save the Sixers. dark

A lot of soul-searching must take place in Philadelphia’s front office this fall. With that said, if there’s anyone on the market who can save Elton Brand’s reputation, it’s Chris Paul. He’s a risk, but a risk well worth taking.