After turning in their sixth consecutive loss, the Philadelphia 76ers proved why they are a fatal team, albeit for all the wrong reasons. Now 16 games below .500, the team has now dropped to 12th place in the East for the first time in quite a while, seriously casting a cloud on their ability to even qualify for the play-in tournament.
At this point, the 76ers should just do the inevitable and start bottoming out as much as they can. There is no denying that the team is simply bonkers as of the moment, and there is very little reason to believe they can turn their season around this late into their campaign.
If we are being honest, though, we all know that Philly is too prideful of a franchise to heed to the rational call of fans to embrace the tank and accept that this season is a lost cause. Need a sign? Well, the 76ers made a barrage of signings just recently, headlined by adding Lonnie Walker IV into the fold.
The 76ers are fortunate they can no longer fall into this trap
Adding Walker to the roster has little to no risk given the way his contract is structured (non-guaranteed for next season). But even better, signing him forecloses any opportunity for the 76ers to fall into a huge honey trap in the form of, well, Victor Oladipo.
The two-time All-Star, who last played in Miami two years ago, was presumed to have retired from professional basketball for quite some time now, but apparently, he is not yet ready to hang up the sneakers for good.
According to Oladipo himself, he is still eyeing a return to the league, and that he is still on the process of rehabbing after a tearing his patellar tendon on his left knee during the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
With the 76ers particularly known for targeting players off of name value, it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that they would have gotten themselves into any “sweepstakes” for Oladipo had they not signed Walker for their final roster spot. That simply screams like a Daryl Morey move.
While Oladipo could very well function as a functional bench guy, he is way too injury-prone to repose much faith on. His best days, which came in Indiana, are long gone, and it’s honestly tough to envision another team willing to take on the risk of signing him, especially given that he is approaching his 33rd birthday.
If ever any team bites, that’s on them. Fortunately, the Philadelphia 76ers are not in a position to even express interest on the former All-Star.