It was recently reported that the Sacramento Kings are open to trading their two core young point guards in De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. For a team in the Philadelphia 76ers who is trying to trade a disgruntled All-Star in Ben Simmons, this is very good news.
Recently on The Sixer Sense Podcast, Christopher Kline and I discussed how the Sixers need to approach a trade with Sacramento. While our views initially differed, we both understood where the other was coming from.
With that being written, after that discussion, I decided that to write on what I spoke on in the podcast. Which was that the 76ers should be focused in on trying to trade for Haliburton. I gave a rough outline of what a trade between Philly and the Kings would look like on the podcast but I’m going into more detail and expanding it in this piece.
It should be noted this isn’t the first potential trade involving Hailburton written on this site. The links here and here will help any readers who would be interested in reading them after finishing this article. That being written below is a potential three-team trade
Potential trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings for Haliburton.
In this hypothetical trade, the Sixers get Haliburton, Harrison Barnes, Kelly Olynyk, and two first round picks. Haliburton would be a natural fit with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey with his ability to play off of the ball and his 3-point shooting. This season, Halliburton has averaged 13.6 points, 6.8 assists, and 1.7 steals, while making 43.5 percent of his shots from downtown this season thus far. He’s shown All-Star potential for stretches this season as well.
Barnes is one of the best 3-and-D players in the NBA, so he would stabilize the Sixers perimeter defense and help with their rebounding issues as well. This year, Barnes is averaging 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds, while converting 42.0 percent of his 3-pointers.
Olynyk and the Detroit Pistons were brought into this trade to help make money work. However, Olynyk can play either big man position with his ability to stretch the floor, which is something that can help the Sixers in certain matchups. He’s currently recovering from injury, but when healthy he’s averaging, 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 34.1 percent from deep.
The Kings get Simmons, Paul Reed, and their own 2024 second round pick back from the Pistons in this potential deal. Simmons would be the first All-Star in Sacramento since DeMarcus Cousins and would revitalized the organization. Reed is a high energy who can be a spark off the bench.
The Pistons would flip Olynyk and a future second into former lottery pick Marvin Bagley and Jaden Springer. Both young players need playing time and the Pistons are the perfect rebuilding team to do that with.
The Philadelphia 76ers get an impressive haul for Simmons headlined by Haliburton, the Kings get the franchise star they need, and the Pistons continue to embrace their rebuild. This hypothetical trade should be considered a win for all three clubs.