After getting cleanly swept out of the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers will be looking to bolster their roster ahead of their competitive bid for the following season. But to do just that, major changes will have to be made –– something the fanbase cannot reliably count on transpiring given that the front office is hampered by the mammoth deals they signed with Joel Embiid and Paul George.
Of the two, the consensus belief is that George's contract is easier to dangle away. Finding a taker for him, however, is much, much easier said than done. Be that as it may, the Pistons may actually have the ideal trade framework to help the 76ers get a much-needed relief from the former All-Star according to this trade proposal hatched by ESPN.
In the proposed swap, Detroit will take in George's contract while Philadelphia will bring in Isaiah Stewart, Duncan Robinson, and Caris LeVert in return. Basically, the 76ers will be turning one fringe All-Star into three, rotation-caliber players. But for the most part, the workings of this deal point to Philly actually getting the longer end of the stick.
Bold trade pitch has 76ers getting out of their Paul George mess
George's deal will always be described as an overblown one, but the nine-time All-Star actually got to turn his game up late in the season when he made his return from a 25-game league suspension. Even better, he was a major contributor to the team come playoff time, playing well for the most part despite his more modulated usage.
However, his deal is simply eating up way too much cap space that the 76ers are basically paralyzed from a roster-building stanpoint. That makes it all the more pressing for the front office to find a way to prematurely get out of this expensive partnership.
In the proposed deal, the 76ers would be getting three players who combine to make nearly the same as George, so financial relief is not really the intent. However, they are receiving three players in that trade setup, and those guys are not your run-of-the-mill players, but solid contributors who all fill a certain need for Philly.
Stewart is an elite defensive big man, something the 76ers are craving for behind and next to Joel Embiid. Robinson has long been one of the most lethal movement shooters in the NBA, and Philly ranks as one of the worst three-point shooting units in the league. LeVert, despite a down year, is an established scorer who can give the league's worst bench a major lift.
Obviously, that is a non-binding trade proposal. However, if something of the sorts comes up, the 76ers would be very foolish to say no for those reasons.
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