2022 looks to be a pivotal year for the Sixers franchise. The team has officially made the transition out of the developmental and potential-driven years of the process to being consistent championship contenders. Behind the leadership of Daryl Morey, Philadelphia has begun its quest for a title.
This offseason, Daryl Morey and the 76ers committed fully to being a team centered around All-NBA center Joel Embiid. The Sixers are all in on winning a championship in the next few years with a team built around Embiid.
Philly currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. As currently constructed, this team will most likely lose in the first or second round of the playoffs. The Sixers need to be active at the trade deadline if they want to seriously contend for a championship this year.
There are a few different players on their roster that should be on the trade block in 2022 in order to get them over the hump. I will not address Ben Simmons in this article because of the abundance of trade articles that have already been written about him.
3 Sixers who are on the trade block in 2022: Danny Green
The non-Ben Simmons Sixer who should be on the trade block is Danny Green.
Danny Green is mostly on the trade block because he has a very tradable salary. Danny Green is making $10 million this year and is set to make $10 million next year which is not guaranteed until July 1st. Danny Green is a solid role player for the Sixers currently but he does not contribute much to their championship aspirations.
For Philadelphia to receive any real contributors back, Green would have to be packaged with other assets. For example, the Sixers could package Green with a late first-round draft pick in exchange for a player like Robert Covington. Or the Sixers could use Danny Green simply as salary filler in a trade for a significant improvement.
3 Sixers who are on the trade block in 2022: Tyrese Maxey
Tyrese Maxey is an extremely talented young player. He is still only 21 years old and clearly has the potential to be a star in this league one day. The reason why the Sixers should be open to trading Maxey is not that he is not talented.
It is because Maxey’s timeline simply does not line up with Joel Embiid’s. Embiid is already 27 years old with a significant injury history. Embiid and the Sixers do not have the time to wait 2-3 years for Maxey to develop into the star that he could one day become.
Therefore, the benefit of trading Tyrese Maxey is that teams would be willing to give up a lot for him. Most teams in the NBA would love to have a talented 21-year-old guard on their team. Maxey could easily be traded for a more experienced, talented, and older player.
Also, in any scenario where the Sixers acquire Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard, Maxey would have to be included. Philadelphia needs to be focused on maximizing their talent the next 3-5 years and Maxey simply does not line up with that timeline.
3 Sixers who are on the trade block in 2022: Matisse Thybulle
Lastly, Sixers should be open to trading Matisse Thybulle. For almost the same reasons they should trade Tyrese Maxey. Thybulle is an All-NBA level defender, but he leaves a lot to be desired on the offensive side of the ball. When Thybulle is on the court, his defender can sag into the paint creating harder scoring opportunities for the other Sixers players.
If Philadelphia could swap Thybulle for someone slightly better at offense to start alongside Embiid, Harris, and Curry, it would serve to greatly improve their championship aspirations.