The 2024-25 season has largely been bereft of bright spots for the Philadelphia 76ers. The playoff race is starting to get away from them by each passing day, and to be frank, it would now be pretty shocking to see this team even qualify for the playoffs. It has been that bad for the squad, especially since the calendar flipped over to 2025.
As said multiple times already, it would make little to no sense for the 76ers front office to continue seeking shortsighted, win-now moves on the trade market. Hence, the ideal pathway for them to at least make the most of the midseason bonanza is to try and extract assets out of their own players, most of which are in tradable contracts and should have some suitors to boot.
Recognizing windows of opportunity would be key for the 76ers brass. And with the trade deadline rapidly approaching, Daryl Morey and his crew should already operate with much more aggression compared to the passive stance they have taken in recent weeks, as shown by their sheer inactivity on the trade market.
The 76ers could trade a big man to the Mavs after Dereck Lively’s injury
Fortunately for the 76ers, a big opportunity just opened up for them. The Mavericks just bared that starting big man Dereck Lively II would be sidelined for two to three months, throwing a big curveball to their plans of clinching position for home court advantage in the playoffs.
Philadelphia has some names they can throw at Dallas to entice the latter into buying, namely Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele. While both are clearly different players with varying skill sets, they provide some much-needed size for the Mavs which was already pressing even before the sophomore’s injury.
Even if Dallas opts to postpone their reported active search for a taker for Daniel Gafford, who has struggled so far this season, the 76ers should remain aggressive in selling either of their two big men.
Drummond, arguably the most prolific rebounder in the NBA, has been a tad disappointing this season, but that is due to him being shoehorned to a bigger role in light of Joel Embiid’s numerous injury-related absences. There is a big possibility that he thrives even more in Dallas’ pick-and-roll heavy attack.
On the flip side, Yabusele would be a perfect stopgap solution for the Mavs. While he is undersized for the position, he offers more than enough resistance on defense while also adding reliable three-point shooting and court vision.
Either way, the Philadelphia 76ers should capitalize on this opportunity to get something from Dallas. That way, they can do something meaningful before the deadline, even if it does not bolster their playoff bid this season.