The Philadelphia 76ers have their eyes set on the playoff race this year, but that will not change the fact that they are going to be an interested party in the trade market in the coming offseason. Of course, the expectation is that the Giannis Antetokounmpo bidding war will be the main highlight of the summer.
With that being said, the 76ers will not necessarily be privy to a prospective Giannis trade, but they would want such deal not to adversely affect their chances in the Eastern Conference. And for that very reason, the latest rumor out of the mill surrounding Miami nearly striking a deal with the Bucks before the deadline should concern them.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Milwaukee closed in on accepting the Heat's trade offer for the Greek Freak centered on Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, multiple draft picks, and numerous pick swaps. However, the Bucks' brain trust ultimately resisted, opting to wait until the summer instead to possibly get even more lucrative offers.
The 76ers wouldn't want Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay in the East
Miami has always been one of the teams on the forefront of the Giannis sweepstakes, but their inability to actually lure in stars in trades by going all-in has caused them to miss out on a lot. Their chase sounds legitimate this time around, though, which makes them a formidable force on that front.
Now, how does this operate against Philly's best interests as a franchise? Well, it is no rocket science from a competitive standpoint. The 76ers would want Antetokounmpo, a two-time league MVP, to head to the West instead and further clog up the boatload of top-end talent therein. That would entail a team like the Warriors, another bona fide Giannis pursuer, to outbid Miami.
The truth of the matter though is that only those teams will have control as to what transpires with the Greek Freak. The 76ers cannot do anything about. That is why they can only hope that Golden State (or any other team from the Western Conference) can seriously challenge Miami and play spoiler to the actual momentum they have garnered in enticing Milwaukee's front office.
Many say that life in the East has been way easier than in the West, but the 76ers need all the stars to align if they want to sniff real success. Getting their competition weaker will undoubtedly play to their benefit, and Giannis moving to the West will already be a massive win for them in that regard.