Would Giannis Antetokounmpo have helped the Philadelphia 76ers? Absolutely. However, they would have had to sacrifice significant depth to get him. With their rumored trade for Jaylen Brown, a fellow NBA Finals MVP, they sacrificed one player, and it wasn't one of their young, up-and-comers. That is a massive win that wouldn't have happened with the Greek Freak.
76ers' young core remains intact
The Milwaukee Bucks made it clear that they weren't trading Giannis Antetokounmpo unless they got young talent in return. That resulted in the Miami Heat coughing up Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Kasparas JakuÄŤionis, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. That's a lot of talent. The Bucks likely would have approached Philly with the same mindset if they called about the star.
If the 76ers were serious about Giannis talks, Milwaukee likely would have demanded Tyrese Maxey or VJ Edgecombe. Not happening. In the deal with Boston, to get another established two-way star, they didn't even have to give up newcomer Labaron Philon Jr., only sacrificing Paul George and several draft picks. That's a win in the eyes of many.
Is Brown as good as Antetokounmpo? Likely not. However, he is coming off the best season of his NBA career, has been healthier in recent seasons, and is younger. All of that, paired with the 76ers being able to keep their core together, likely makes this the smarter play, as fascinating as it would have been to think about an Antetokounmpo-Embiid frontcourt.
76ers' busy offseason shouldn't slow down
Philly has been active over the last few days. It started out with smaller moves for Dean Wade and Ariel Hukporti, but this Jaylen Brown trade is the definition of a blockbuster. A team with Brown, Maxey, Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid should make plenty of noise, but this group can still make some tweaks to better position itself.
First off, some wing depth behind Brown would be nice. In recent days, in addition to losing George, they have lost Kelly Oubre Jr. and Quentin Grimes. Another cheap, playable wing to come off the bench behind Brown could go a long way for this team. With that quartet leading the show, plenty of players should be itching to get minutes in Philadelphia.
Welcome to the Mike Gansey era, 76ers fans. It's just getting started. It will be fascinating to see how he follows up this stunner with one of the team's biggest rivals.
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