Regardless of which side you align with more, it’s inarguable that the Philadelphia 76ers stand as winners in the James Harden blockbuster trade which sent shockwaves around the league. After all, the franchise managed to quash a seemingly ceaseless quagmire while receiving a stack of immediate help and useful assets down the road.
That being said, it seems like the 76ers are far from done on their heavy involvement on the rumor mill as the front office will reportedly attempt to leverage the draft capital they acquired from the Clippers to lure in a third star to complement Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. In account of that, here are five stars they could target to bolster their title bid this season and potentially in the near future.
5 stars the 76ers could target following James Harden trade
1. Mikal Bridges — SF/SG (Brooklyn Nets)
Considering how the Brooklyn Nets have seemingly enshrined Mikal Bridges as their franchise centerpiece, this one is probably a pipe-dream entry for the 76ers. After all, the 27-year-old is on a discount contract, and has shown viability as a potential All-Star this season.
However, the Nets aren’t even playoff locks in the East, and building around Bridges implies that the franchise is banking on their free agency appeal to return to contention. He’s too old to prompt a rebuild. Otherwise, Brooklyn is approaching the unenviable position of being in NBA purgatory.
The 76ers should closely test the waters on striking a potential deal for Bridges. The Nets haven’t shown any proclivity toward even trading him for a barrage of first-rounders when the offer presented itself last season, but that could change given that Brooklyn is trying to mount a competitive bid despite its limited ceiling and a floor not dwarfish enough to bottom out.
At 6’6, Bridges is a perfect fit for Philadelphia next to Embiid and Maxey. He has had success before as a third option, and his skill set especially complements those two well. He can create his own shot at all levels with above-average efficiency, almost never forces the issue, doesn’t turn the ball over much, and most importantly, he is a premiere defender who can guard four positions.
5 stars the 76ers could target following Harden trade
2. OG Anunoby — SF/PF (Toronto Raptors)
Calling OG Anunoby a star may be quite the stretch conventionally speaking, but he’s long been one of the more highly sought-after commodities in the league as one of the best players in the 3-and-D zeitgeist.
Anunoby survived another year filled with trade rumors last season, but that’s unlikely to stop anytime soon. Potentially approaching free agency next year, he could find himself out of Toronto soon, and the Philadelphia 76ers should definitely inquire about the Raptors’ asking price for him.
Like Bridges, Anunoby is an elite defender, having just been named to the All-Defensive Team last season despite Toronto’s middling finish. His profile is centered on his defensive prowess, but he also showed a lot of growth as a scoring threat last year, posting above-average shooting clips across the board and thriving as a tertiary option on the Raptors.
With PJ Tucker gone and the 76ers having some unknowns as his potential replacements, Anunoby would provide much-needed security for the team not only on defense, but also in the more glamorous end of the floor. That would allow Philly to have someone to throw at the Tatums and Giannises of the world while not shedding their potency on offense.
Fortunately, the 26-year-old should be a lot cheaper than Bridges. Should the Sixers strike out on their flashier targets, Anunoby should be atop their whiteboard.
5 stars the 76ers could target following Harden trade
3. Zach LaVine — SG (Chicago Bulls)
Thanks to Joel Embiid being Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey accelerating his growth this season, the 76ers remain a lethal offensive team despite trading James Harden. Still, a three-game sample size is far from enough to imbue permanence onto that statement, meaning that the team will need even more to be a sustainably good team with a high playoff ceiling.
One name that Philadelphia has been linked up with before is Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, who has continued his solid play this season despite his team’s clearly limited ceiling as a playoff threat this season, if they are even on that realm to begin with.
The Bulls severely need a reboot, as a LaVine-DeMar DeRozan-Nikola Vucevic troika is simply too flawed to be endorsed as bona fide threats. Trading LaVine, who is signed for at least three more years, will give them the most value to prompt a rebuild, but do the 76ers have the infrastructure to warrant a phone call from Chicago?
First of all, the fit may not be immaculate, but LaVine should thrive in a 76ers offense where he only has to be a play finisher on the primary. A Maxey-LaVine backcourt will arguably be the most lethal scoring-wise and possesses a lot of intrigue due to both players’ dynamic play styles. There are little to no impediments in this regard.
Chicago, however, may demand significant draft compensation from Philly’s brass. The franchise has the ability to perhaps match that price, but the deciding factor could be the 76ers’ willingness to live and die with the Maxey-LaVine-Embiid triumvirate in the East for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, they cannot afford to be in a conservative position at this point in time.
5 stars the 76ers could target following Harden trade
4. Pascal Siakam — PF/C (Toronto Raptors)
Like Anunoby, Pascal Siakam is approaching unrestricted free agency next year — a glistening asterisk in a potential trade. Still, a bona fide All-NBA caliber player at the peak of his powers should pique the interest of any team trying to carve out a third cave in the East’s dual dungeon, especially if that team has the capacity to keep him anyway.
Admittedly, the prospect of Siakam with Embiid and Maxey is permeated with an nonnegligible degree of risk. After all, the one-time NBA champion has the kind of skill set archetypal of a first option, the likes of which need a lot of streamlining to effectively become a factor amid a lower dosage.
Siakam is a two-way player who relies on his athleticism and motor to score. His perimeter presence can be so-so, though he can be a heady connector who can carry the offense on his own. Defensively, he is a great disruptor who thrives in switch-heavy schemes (ahem, Nick Nurse) and can legitimately guard all positions.
Sure, Siakam may not present the most seamless fit for the 76ers, but he is a heck of a floor raiser who also has a shot at becoming a scary ceiling-raiser for a Philadelphia team that has only peaked at a second-round appearance in the postseason. His familiarity with Nurse’s mercurial style of coaching, especially on defense, should also come in pretty handy.
Of course, the 76ers run the risk of failing to keep him beyond this year if the trade for him and they will also have to give up on their other targets in free agency next year when they will have a boatload of cap space. If the front office can live with those, then trading for Siakam could be a gamble likely to pay dividends.
5 stars the 76ers could target following Harden trade
5. DeMar DeRozan — SF (Chicago Bulls)
Another player whom the 76ers can zoom in on for a potential trade this season is Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan, who is in the final year of his contract before hitting unrestricted free agency next year.
As mentioned, Chicago could be in line for a fire sale before the trade deadline, and should they go the logical route, they are almost guaranteed to shop DeRozan to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing. If so, the 76ers should pounce on that opportunity if they aren’t able to score other better-fitting stars like, well, LaVine, his teammate.
Sure, DeRozan also has a skill set that is quite the challenge to incorporate given the 76ers’ scoring profile, but his days as a one-trick pony are ancient history. Since arriving in Chicago (or in San Antonio, really), the savvy scorer has grown into an all-around machine, capably filling in as a primary facilitator when needed while remaining one of the best and most efficient isolation scorers in the league.
The lack of three-point shooting will prompt an offensive recalibration for Philadelphia, but DeRozan already has the experience and skill to negate defenses sagging off him from rainbow country due to his threat as a rim runner. Also, his ability to initiate the offense should provide a nice kick and much-needed variance to an offense still reliant on a two-man dynamic.
Despite all that, DeRozan’s contract should ensure that the 76ers won’t have to break the bank to make the deal work. It’s not going to be cheap either, but the Bulls won’t have much leverage anyway in trying to gouge his price tag. Also, acquiring him will not preclude the team from retaining its financial flexibility.