New trade rumor gifts 76ers a premiere chance to fix recurring issue

The Philadelphia 76ers managed to temporarily halt a profuse bleeding on the standings in their recent game, but you would be hard-pressed to find someone convinced about that win being the trigger point for a big comeback from here on out.

Aside from Paul George, who is currently sidelined after re-injuring the same knee he hyperextended a month ago, Joel Embiid has ran into another bump in the road. He is already slated to miss a few games at the very least, and at this point, there is nothing that guarantees he would be able to really return to optimal form this season.

To cope with the loss of their superstar center, the 76ers have employed a new way to solidify the center position for the time being. Nick Nurse and the coaching staff finally made a big switch in the lineup with Guerschon Yabusele taking the reigns from Andre Drummond in the opening group, much to the pleasure of nearly everyone following the club.

Struggling teams gifts 76ers the perfect trade target to strengthen the center position

With all due respect to Yabusele, who has been one of the most impressive players on the roster in the early going despite the 76ers being absolute disappointments, banking on him to become the full-time center invites danger. Not only does he become more vulnerable to injury himself, but it also gives the impression that the front office is willing to settle for mere alternatives to fix a longstanding issue.

Thankfully, the rumor mill may just have the perfect answer to fix this issue for Philly in the form of Jonas Valanciunas, whom the Wizards have made available in trade talks. The veteran center has seen his role get shafted with Washington pivoting to a youth movement, and it only makes sense for them to try and extract assets out of the reliable big.

The Lithuanian big man is signed to a big, discounted deal — one that the 76ers are perfectly capable of matching via trade. GIven his consistent play over the years, the front office should definitely make a play for him to give the team a bona fide center who can drastically reduce the downgrade in talent when Embiid sits and also start in his stead.

Valanciunas, perennially one of the most physically imposing players in the league, would be a hell of a backup behind Embiid. Just imagine him and Yabusele together on the floor carving out frail opposing frontcourts.

At this juncture, the Philadelphia 76ers need all the armory they can get to break even in the standings and start acting like the contenders they truly are. And trading for Jonas Valanciunas would surely be the kind of move that can get them some much-needed momentum to finally rack up wins.