3 trades the 76ers can make to steal Damian Lillard from the Heat

How the 76ers can double down on winning now with Damian Lillard

Over the last couple of days, reports have popped out stating that the Philadelphia 76ers are not interested in including breakout star Tyrese Maxey in any trade, which includes any hypothetical deals involving Damian Lillard.

That being said, Maxey is the Sixers’ best bet to tempt the Trail Blazers without exhausting their entire cupboard of draft capital beyond 2026, though that will entail that they part with perhaps their next big All-Star after the 22-year-old broke out in his third year in the league.

Really, the only chance that this transpires is if Joel Embiid applies pressure on Philly’s brass to double down on winning now, which could make them more conducive to the prospect of mortgaging Maxey for four years of Damian Lillard.

Whether Lillard himself respects a theoretical deal to Philadelphia remains to be seen, but this is the easiest and, unfortunately, the most realistic path for the Sixers toward Lillard. Furthermore, this will give them a route for free agency deals at the margins, as Tobias Harris will be dangled away to Portland in this case.

However, the inarguably wiser thing for the 76ers in this regard is to keep Maxey and play with their other sterling cards (ahem, James Harden).