The Philadelphia 76ers might have a full roster right now, but that should not prevent the front office from looking at the options available to them at this juncture. With the regular season slowly approaching its denouement, they are likewise getting close to knowing their likely path come playoff time with their positioning in the postseason picture.
A specific area where the 76ers still need bolstering is at point guard, especially in view of their decision to trade Jared McCain before the trade deadline. And to that effect, one player who merits their attention is Lonzo Ball, who remains without a ball club more than three weeks after the trade deadline.
Unfortunately, despite the clear strengths of the former No. 2 overall pick falling squarely into what the 76ers need at this point in time, a troubling development simply prevents him from even being a feasible option for Philly (or any other team for that matter). After all, as reported, he is still a bit far from being healthy enough to lace them up.
The 76ers could have gone after Lonzo Ball if he was healthy
Despite turning in putrid shooting splits in his most recent stint with the Cavaliers this season, Ball’s acuity as a floor general and a perimeter defender was still on full display. Those traits alone would make him an appealing commodity for a team like the 76ers, which has had a complete dearth of proven playmaking oeuvre since James Harden left.
Cameron Payne was brought in to help give the 76ers a lift at the point guard position, but no one will mistake him for a natural table-setter. He is more of a combo guard, and his play since arriving in Philly has left a lot to be desired. Put simply, he has not been as productive as the front office hoped.
But even if the 76ers did not settle for Payne and kept one roster spot open, they probably would not have spent it on Ball anyway. The team has already had enough of injury-prone players, and going after the 28-year-old would be like adding fuel to the fire.
For now, the 76ers have no other choice but to make do with what they currently have. Their depth at PG is certainly not pretty right now, but the coaching staff still have time to invent ways to cope with this roster deficiency, especially since the front office does not want to be reminded of their mistake before the trade deadline.