Another day, another loss for the Philadelphia 76ers. Still without Joel Embiid, who has not played since 2019 in Denver, the team registered their seventh straight loss in a 35-point drubbing. The Nuggets imposed their will early and never looked back, cruising past the visitors to send them packing with a 15-27 record.
The 76ers’ odds of sneaking into the playoffs seem to get smaller by the day. Their record is the worst it has been since, well, the 2017-18 season, and it is extremely unlikely that this freefall would come to a stop anytime soon.
Philadelphia’s billing as a buyer before the trade deadline is now as futile as it can get. There is little to no reason for this team to seek roster upgrades in the middle of the season while parting with assets, as they similarly have little to play for in the present campaign. By that same vein, they must refrain from engaging teams to potentially snag win-now players.
The 76ers should now stay far away from the Cameron Johnson sweepstakes
Back when the 76ers were only five games below .500 with all the momentum in the world to even inch sloer to a deadlock, a player like Cameron Johnson seemed like a savvy trade target for the franchise. But now, Philly should completely abandon the idea of pitching an offer for the coveted forward.
Given his high demand, the Nets will most likely try to fleece another team by demanding a lot for his services, perhaps more than he should theoretically warrant. Johnson is having a career year, and his combination of size and lethal three-point shooting is plenty attractive for teams looking to make a deep playoff run.
Unfortunately, despite the 76ers having that same goal, the reality bodes starkly different for them. They are way behind their contemporaries in the playoff race out East, and parting with multiple players to match salaries with Johnson (and draft compensation at that) would be counterintuitive given the lack of healthy bodies this team already faces.
If Philly really wants to have a shot at landing Johnson, they would have to hope that he does not get moved before the deadline, which is a real possibility given Brooklyn’s relentless price gouging.
But speaking for the present, the Philadelphia 76ers should now stay far away from the bidding war for Cameron Johnson. While he would have been the perfect player to pursue, the team simply is in no position to make any more win-now moves.