The Philadelphia 76ers did not make a lot of people happy with the things they did in the market before the trade deadline — there is no arguing that. While the front office felt the conviction to be smarter with their assets, the fact that they parted with a vital piece of the puzzle without really backing it up has not been well-received by many.
Heck, people are already noticing that the 76ers are now reeling from the lack of depth that attended their trades, most especially the one involving Jared McCain who was shipped to Oklahoma City strictly for draft capital. Depth was one of the key strengths of this team for most of the season, but losing the sophomore will sting a lot for now.
As echoed in the latest episode of the Slam N’ Jam podcast by The Athletic, Philly basically did not make any additions whatsoever before the trade deadline, their only moves being the McCain trade and the negligible Eric Gordon salary dump. The latter’s exit does not amount to a lot, but dealing the former and not truly replacing him with an upgrade has got to be a low point for the front office when speaking of the present.
The 76ers are suffering from their lack of depth after the trade deadline
With the team not having the services of Joel Embiid (due to injury) and Paul George (thanks to an untimely suspension), the 76ers suddenly have a shallow lineup. Their functional depth has been all used up, which has haunted them as of late as they have lost four of their last five outings.
That makes it all the more baffling that the front office did not feel enough compelling force to make some additions to the roster to fill in some of their more pressing needs. They still need another body at the forward positions, and their backcourt is hit-and-miss right now as a collective.
It’s almost like the 76ers brain trust is not being completely honesty with fans. The win-now mandate has been resounding for this franchise, but their actuations so far do not reflect that at all. They are not seeing eye to eye with what they are projecting to the public, and it is costing them highly important wins.
The 76ers still have the buyout market which they can take advantage of to get better, but judging from what they have done this far, it is dicey to expect the front office to move the needle at all.