3 potential Harris trades the Sixers could make: Cavaliers and Celtics
The next potential Harris deal that should be looked at is a three-team trade between the Sixers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. This potential deal could help improve each team involved in this trade.
This is a massive trade involving nine players and two draft picks. The Sixers get Lauri Markkanen, Marcus Smart, and Jabari Parker. The Cavaliers received Tobias Harris, Dennis Schroder, Springer, a 2023 second round pick, and a 2027 second round pick. The Celtics come away with Ricky Rubio, Paul Reed, and Kevin Pangos.
Starting with the 76ers, they are able to turn Harris into quality depth. Markkanen is a legit stretch big who can start next to Embiid and would be the best stretch four that the All-Star big man has played with in his career. Markkanen is averaging 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds, while shooting 34.8 percent from deep this year.
They also get Marcus Smart who can address two needs. He fills the need for more perimeter defense and for more point guard depth. He’s not a pure point guard, but he’s a better option than Shake Milton. This season, he’s averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.1 steals, while making 27.6 percent of his 3-pointers. Parker is in there for salary and depth purposes.
It should be noted that Parker can’t be traded until Jan. 17, 2022, and Smart can’t be dealt until Jan. 25, 2022 per Fanspo.com.
The Cavs get a more versatile forward in Harris who can be a better defender and more versatile offensive player than Markkanen. He fits better with there twin towers in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Dennis Schroder is a score-first point guard who can provide a spark off the bench. Jaden Springer is another young prospect that the Cavs can add to their core. Two second round picks aren’t bad either.
Boston gets the pass-first point guard in Rubio they desperately need to take the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to the next level. Rubio is a two-way player as well who can stabilize the Celtics starting five. Reed is a nice young big man who would have a better chance to grow on the Celtics’ roster. Pangos is in there for roster and salary filler.