With the majority of trade restrictions having just been lifted, the trade season has officially begun. For teams like the Philadelphia 76ers which are still patently riddled with holes on their rosters, that means they now have a real opportunity to perhaps make some changes — be they marginal or drastic — in order to rise in the standings and elevate their ceiling in the playoffs.
Unfortunately for the 76ers, the front office will have to settle for changes around the edges at most. Their salary books are not very amenable to them making a major trade, which will definitely make some fans groan. After all, despite a solid start to the season, the overall sentiment is that Philly is not close to being a bona fide championship contender as currently constructed.
Two names, Joel Embiid and Paul George, present the only way for the 76ers to go big in the trade market. However, with how the market is shaping up, there is simply no way they can manufacture a trade offer involving those guys that would lure teams into real submission. For better or for worse, this team will have to sit the trade season out for the most part.
The 76ers have no choice but to stand pat during trade season
To be clear, the 76ers are not necessarily and completely bereft of players who could prove to be attractive gets for other teams. Veteran commodities like Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond will definitely command considerable interest from teams around the league.
However, those players have become so instrumental to the team that it makes little sense to part ways with them. That is more so the case in view of the fact that they are on expiring deals anyway, and even when put up for taking, teams will not pay a lot for such rental pieces.
That dynamic, in addition to their top-heavy payroll, makes the 76ers one of the teams which are more likely to stand pat and just observe on the sidelines before the trade deadline while teams are wheeling and dealing.
In all honesty, it is difficult to see the 76ers getting into real title contention this season, especially since injuries continue to hound them more than most teams in the association. As such, the franchise will be forced to rely on internal development and resurgences to rev up the engine instead of tapping external help to get them out of certain binds.