The NBA trade deadline isn’t that far off as it is scheduled on March 25th, 2021. With that in mind, the Philadelphia 76ers are clearly buyers in the trade market as they are looking to do a deep postseason run.
Whenever there are buyers in the NBA, there are always sellers in the league as well. There are at least five sellers that the president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand, and the rest of the Sixers front office need to keep an eye on leading up to the deadline.
5 potential sellers to watch near the trade deadline: Minnesota Timberwolves
Despite having two young All-Stars in Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been the worst team this season as they hold the worst record of 7-24. While it seems unlikely that their core will become available, they do have some interesting role players on the roster.
The recent emergence of Anthony Edwards, the first overall pick in this past draft, makes other wing players like Malik Beasley, Josh Okogie, and former lottery pick Jarrett Culver possibly available. Based on Beasley’s recent re-signing and Culver being drafted just two years ago, Okogie might be the most available of the wing players. Still, none of these players make the most sense as a trade target.
Veteran Ricky Rubio could be a great addition to the Sixers bench. While he can’t space the floor well, he can certainly run a club’s second unit at this point and defend at a high level. However, the Timberwolves will be without Russell for an extended period of time, and making a trade would be difficult as Rubio is set to make $17 million this year and $17.6 million next year. That’s way too much for just an above average backup point guard.
Minnesota might want to consider tanking the rest of the season, not only because they have lost Russell to surgery, but they also owe the Golden State Warriors their first round pick if it falls outside of the top three selections. At this point, it might be better for them to purposely tank and try to hold on to that pick for dear life in what is supposed to be a deep draft.
5 potential sellers to watch near the trade deadline: Detroit Pistons
The T-Wolves have the worst record in the league, but the Detroit Pistons aren’t far behind. They are in a full-on rebuild but still have hand handful of interesting veterans that could help the Philadelphia 76ers moving forward.
The Sixers have already been connected with veteran backup point guard Delon Wright. I’ve already written on a potential package that the 76ers could put together to acquire the playmaker. However, he’s not the only veteran on the roster that would make sense for Philly.
Christopher Kline of The Sixer Sense has already written about how the Sixers could target Wayne Ellington as a cheap option to add more 3-point shooting to the team’s bench. Despite being 33 years old, Ellington is having one of the best shooting performances of his career and he’s on a minimum contract, which should be appealing for the 76ers.
While guys like Jahlil Okafor and more notably Blake Griffin are potentially players to watch on the buyout market, there is one other wing on the Pistons who is an interesting trade market.
Despite barely playing this year, Rodney McGruder has a history of being a hard-nose defender who can hit the occasional 3-point shot. Outside of one bad season with the Los Angeles Clippers, McGruder hasn’t been a bad NBA player and could be an easy player to get for Philadelphia.
5 potential sellers to watch near the trade deadline: Oklahoma City Thunder
To be honest, in terms of having a bright future, the Oklahoma City Thunder have more than enough young players and draft capital to rebuild multiple times. That being said, there are a few players on the Thunder that could help upgrade the Philadelphia 76ers bench this year.
The Sixers have been connected to veteran combo guard George Hill in rumors and as with Wright, I’ve already written about a potential trade package regarding Hill. Hill’s fit is seamless as he can play on and off the ball while hitting 3-point shots at a high rate and efficiency. The only concern is will his contract age well next year when he’s 35 years old?
Darius Miller is another player for the 76ers to keep an eye on. He’s an efficient 3-point shooter if nothing else and despite missing all of last season due to injury, he’s still able to shoot the ball effectively this year in a limited role. He’s not a good defender, but he’s not a bad veteran to have on the tail end of the bench if the price is right.
The third player the 76ers should monitor isn’t necessary a trade target as he currently makes way too much money ($12.8 million) for what he can still do on the floor. That being said, veteran wing Trevor Ariza proved last season he is still an effective 3-and-D player. Considering he’s not playing for the Thunder this year, it’s more than likely that he’s going to be bought out and should be a free agent target for Philly.
5 potential sellers to watch near the trade deadline: Orlando Magic
It’s fair to say that if it weren’t for injuries, the Orlando Magic would probably be a legit contender for a playoff spot. However, they are currently without Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Aaron Gordon, and Cole Anthony. Fultz and Isaac are out for the season outside of Anthony, the other three players are starts.
This might be the season for the Magic to see if they can’t flip some veterans for younger players and/or draft capital. To be clear, a guy like Nikola Vucevic isn’t a target for the Philadelphia 76ers, but Orlando does have some interesting role players.
“[Evan] Fournier is probably the biggest name on this list…”
Despite being a former lottery pick, center Mohamed Bamba has slowly seen his role reduced each of his first three seasons with that Magic. With Vucivic becoming an All-Star caliber player and Khem Birch being a really good backup, there doesn’t seem to be a future for the big man.
The Sixers could trade for the center and groom him to be Embiid’s backup of the future. The only question is how much would Orlando want for the former sixth overall pick.
Evan Fournier is in the last year of his contract and is set to be a free agent. With no clear-cut hier apparent at the shooting guard position, the Magic will probably try to retain the sharpshooter’s services in the offseason. That being said, if they are worried they can’t, they may try to trade him before he hits free agency.
Fournier is probably the biggest name on this list as he’s a three-level scorer. While he can’t defend well, the Sixers wouldn’t need him to. He’s scoring a career-high 19.1 points per game and would be a major help in the postseason.
5 potential sellers to watch near the trade deadline: New Orleans Pelicans
There have been several players on that the New Orleans Pelicans that authors on The Sixer Sense have written on. On top of that, they have clearly been one of the early sellers in this season, as J.J. Redick, Lonzo Ball, Eric Bledsoe have all been in the rumor mill.
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Redick is the obvious choice for most Philadelphia 76ers fans as he had the best stretch of his career with the Sixers. Whether it be a trade or via the buyout market, the Redick should be top of the Sixers wish list this season.
Former second overall pick Ball wouldn’t be a bad fit at the right price. He’s a starting-level point guard but would be a great backup on a contender, so he might be worth the risk as Sheldon Washington of The Sixer Sense recently put it. The biggest questions surrounding acquiring Ball for the 76ers would be what do the Pelicans want in return and could he co-exist with Ben Simmons.
Although Bledsoe is on the trading block, he’s probably the least attractive player out of the three guards. Bledsoe doesn’t have a great history co-existing with other point guards. Not only in New Orleans currently but also when he was on the Phoenix Suns. Besides that, he has three years left on a four-year contract originally worth $70 million and is making $16.9 million, which isn’t a super attractive deal for Philly to take on.
Agree or disagree with the list of potential sellers the Philadelphia 76ers should keep an eye on moving forward? Comment your thoughts below.