Grade the Trade: 76ers keep up with Bucks, Celtics in blockbuster proposal

While the Philadelphia 76ers continue to scratch their heads on finding a resolution to the delimiting James Harden ordeal, the Eastern Conference, or rather, the league as a whole just had its landscape changed with a pair of blockbuster trades just recently.

The Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics, two of the 76ers’ fiercest rivals out East, just bolstered their already jam-packed roster with their newest additions — the former landing Damian Lillard from Portland, which then re-routed Jrue Holiday to the latter to commence a rebuild.

The 76ers are quickly getting outclassed by their rivals after recent blockbuster trades

Unfortunately for Philadelphia, its chances of getting out of the East is quickly going down the drain. Not only do the 76ers bring back much of the same core with the added bonus of a disgruntled sidekick, but there is now an added pressure for the front office to keep up atop the hard reality that the transaction table hasn’t afforded them any relief just yet.

Part and parcel of what can alleviate the team’s early woes is pinpointing a taker for Harden’s expiring contract, especially with the All-Star guard having already refused to show up in Day 1 of training camp. Surely, this could just be the semi-reset the franchise needs to fully move forward with the season.

With all these considered, let us revisit a trade proposal that will enable Philly to land a blue-chip player while shedding Harden and keep up with their rivals in the East.