With a roster equally ready to contend at its peak and also ripe to make changes at a moment’s notice, the Philadelphia 76ers could be a bit difficult to predict before the trade deadline. On one side, the team has no other way but to constantly double down on adding win-now pieces and seek out opportune targets. On the other, it can be said that there is not much impetus for the front office to just approach the market head-on due to how good this team can still be as constructed.
Anyhow, the 76ers front office has a bevy of options and routes to take in the coming weeks prior to the trade deadline. Players who are actually available are popping up day after day, and it is not inconceivable to think that many more names could soon be lodged on everyone’s whiteboards given the rampant player movement expected by most.
Having said that, Daryl Morey and his crew have to be very cautious in working the trade market. Philadelphia does have a lot of ammunition, perhaps even more than most win-now teams do and should have, but sticking to their previous and known disposition could actually push the 76ers down the drain.
Daryl Morey has to take on a less predictable stance for the 76ers on the trade market
Many pundits are already penciling the 76ers in as the team to watch before the trade deadline, thanks in large part to Morey being at the helm and the team starting pretty slow this season. History also suggests that the longtime executive will unlikely be predisposed toward simply staying put and not addressing the itch to make a move or two, or maybe three, if not more.
Philly does have the flexibility for a minor midseason retooling, but Morey also has to account for the factors that have led to the 76ers having a slow start and theoretically needing hard moves on the trade market. There is the constant injury bug, abnormally slow starts for a slew of role players, and the lack of chemistry between this newly minted group.
The 76ers have shown signs of real and tangible improvement over nearly the last month, and Morey pressing the button too hard on the basis of a not-so-ideal win-loss card and fear of succumbing to detractors could backfire. Outside of some clear and warranted positional upgrades, this team largely needed time to gel and for players to get acclimated to each other.
Anything drastic at this point could just force the team to reinvent itself on the margins — something that could ripple onto the entire squad and ruin the balance and chemistry they are slowly building over the season.
For this very reason, Daryl Morey has to move with more prudence moving forward on the trade market for the Philadelphia 76ers, ensuring that every move would be bespoke and aptly made for specific needs that would not ruin what the team had already built through adversity.