Just like clockwork, the NBA trade season is unofficially back. This time, it is Giannis Antetokounmpo who is at the nucleus of the rumor mill, sending fans and pundits alike into a frenzy after his camp was reported to have already laid the groundwork for what could be one of the most seismic trades in NBA history.
Teams with ample draft capital and a boatload of young talent will understandably be favored to win a prospective Giannis sweepstakes. The Philadelphia 76ers themselves have a good amount of those things, but frankly speaking, their realistic pathways to a viable pitch for the two-time MVP are close to nil –– it would be a reach to consider them a major player for the superstar.
With teams like Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and presumably New York having much more straightforward roads to get on the table with Milwaukee's brass toward a trade for Antetokounmpo, 76ers fans should probably just accept the fact that the franchise will most likely sit this one out, unless they push extremely hard on their win-now edict and offer a young prospect like, say, VJ Edgecombe.
The 76ers could offer VJ Edgecombe to sweeten a hypothetical trade offer for Giannis
Disclaimer: This is in no way an advertisement for the 76ers to actually try and dangle Edgecombe away.
The 76ers are still operating under a clear win-now mandate spreadeagled across the entire organization. Circumstances are tough, but there is little doubt that the front office will do what it takes to get them close to contention as much as possible.
With Tyrese Maxey already looking like an MVP-caliber player in Year 6 while slowly entering his prime, the 76ers have to start acting with more urgency to surround him with a much better group of players. And what better star to pair him with than one of the extremely few players who can be deemed better than him, right?
Antetokounmpo will be perfect next to Maxey and vice versa. However, to get to that point, the 76ers will need to make a colossal sacrifice in parting with Edgecombe and paying a very rich price beyond that. The franchise seems to have settled into their Maxey-Edgecombe backcourt as their franchise centerpiece moving forward, but that pairing is not going to bring Philly into the Finals anytime soon, not with the rookie still having a long ways to go before becoming a real star.
While this might be unpopular for those who prefer the long game, the 76ers can maximize their championship chances if they go all-in for Giannis, although the tough part outside of their control is getting the Bucks to accept a trade package involving Edgecombe, salary-matchers with either Joel Embiid or Paul George as the main equalizers, and a war chest of draft picks.
That just goes to show how elite Giannis Antetokounmpo is and how much chutzpah the 76ers must have to go in that direction.