The Philadelphia 76ers have no reason to still be on buyer mode on the trade market before the trade deadline. They have completely collapsed this season, and while there is technically a lot of time for them to make a rousing comeback in the standings, there aren’t a lot of reasons to believe they can pull off such a feat.
Daryl Morey and his crew should already be in constant contact with just about every team in the league, but as sellers. The 76ers, despite a steep decline across the board, still have some attractive assets they can leverage to extract assets in return that could help them be in better position for the upcoming seasons.
Heck, just a glance at the roster should be more than enough to give anyone an idea about which player they should move before the deadline. Most players on the roster have turned in subpar performances for the entire campaign, but a handful of players have actually surpassed expectations, making them much more useful in trades.
KJ Martin may have already played his last game for the 76ers
KJ Martin, whom the 76ers re-signed in free agency to a relatively generous deal, was widely expected to be a mere trade bait this season. Lo and behold, he remains just that in the eyes of those who have pegged the team to be a major player in the market.
The young forward, however, has played so well in his role this season that just trading him has become a rather arbitrary notion. Martin has been one of the more solid rotation pieces for the team, but unfortunately, an ill-timed injury prevented him from fully showcasing his growth.
The 24-year-old last played for the 76ers on December 23 at home against the Spurs. Since then, he had missed the previous 15 games, and his absence has definitely been felt, especially during this losing streak.
Given his injury, the argument against trading him has weakened. And with Philly in dire need of assets to make this season count, shipping him elsewhere could do the trick.
Martin would be a great rotation pieces for teams looking for a rim-running forward with youth and defense. Even better, he has become a much better three-point shooter despite the low volume, giving him a higher ceiling.
The Philadelphia 76ers would certainly prefer to keep KJ Martin. But given his current situation and the team’s need to stockpile assets, the case for trading him is now much stronger.