76ers: One Joel Embiid trade for every team ranked least to most likely: 1. Portland Trail Blazers
Of all the trades that could become available to the Philadelphia 76ers, this is the best one. Maybe it wouldn’t look exactly like this, but the Portland Trail Blazers can offer the best package.
First and foremost, Anfernee Simons is an All-Star in the making. A backcourt with him and Tyrese Maxey would be rough defensively, but the talent is there. Worst case, Philadelphia could trade one down the line.
Shaedon Sharpe also has All-Star potential. He showed a ton of promise toward the end of last season, and he’ll be 20 years old for the entirety of next year. He has plenty of room to grow.
Plus, the 76ers would almost definitely ask for the third-overall pick in a trade. That means they would be able to draft one of Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller, both of whom are potential stars.
Portland could also throw in some serious draft capital (as long as they work out a trade with the Chicago Bulls to remove protections from their 2024 pick.) And with how old Damian Lillard and Embiid are, those picks should be very valuable by the time they convey.
Meanwhile, Portland is desperate to help Lillard win a title. And what better way to do that than to trade for the reigning league MVP? Embiid would immediately be the best player Lillard has ever played with. By far. (Sorry, CJ McCollum.)
If Embiid becomes available, the Trail Blazers will come calling. And when they do, the 76ers should answer.