The Philadelphia 76ers are still shaping themselves up early in the season, but one can say that they have already fared better than expected. Currently in a deadlock for third place in the Eastern Conference, the team still has ample room to improve, especially once Jared McCain reacclimatizes himself to the speed of the NBA game after a near year-long absence due to injury.
But to entertain the peanut gallery, there could soon be some questions about McCain’s future with the franchise. The 76ers, now having a robust collection of talent in the backcourt, may now view his erstwhile indispensability as having weakened a tad, especially with VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes performing well next to All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey. Soon enough, a trade involving him could be in the cards.
Having said that, Philly is not really incentivized to even think of trading McCain as this moment. However, for the right player, the front office could be compelled to seriously consider parting with the young guard, especially if it involves a player who fits the team better like, say, Tari Eason. That is precisely the subject of the following trade proposal.
76ers trade Jared McCain for Rockets forward Tari Eason in this bold trade idea
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley recently minted some trade proposals for every team, and he has the 76ers moving McCain to the Rockets for Eason. At first blush, Philadelphia fans would probably not be too convinced about the idea, but upon deeper scrutiny, such a swap actually makes a lot of sense from a basketball standpoint.
The 76ers need more bodies at forward, and Eason is exactly the kind of player who would thrive on the roster they currently have. The 24-year-old, who is already one of the better multipositional defenders in the league, has taken a significant step on offense so far this season, averaging 12.3 points per game on 51.7 percent shooting from the field, which includes a blistering 53.1 percent success rate from rainbow country.
Meanwhile, following the season-ending injury of Fred VanVleet, who is also unlikely to return to his usual form once he recovers, badly need help at point guard. Reed Sheppard is not enough and is a complete liability on defense while Amen Thompson is a non-factor beyond the paint. McCain, while still trying to regain his mojo, would be a sleek fit in Houston.
Just from those preliminary points, it is easy to see why this trade framework makes a ton of sense, really, for both teams. Houston has the required depth at forward to make up for Eason’s loss anyway, and the same goes for Philadelphia, which may just have the best three-guard rotation in the league.
However, this would also depend on how bold the 76ers can get. McCain is still viewed by many as a foundational piece, but in view of the fact that they can now hold down the fort well without him, does the front office have the chutzpah to prioritize fit over ceiling? We’ll see.