Following a much-needed loss last night, the Philadelphia 76ers remain on track to land a high lottery pick this year. As of writing, they are in a virtual deadlock with the Nets for the fifth-best odds to land the first overall pick — a very welcome development for a team that seemed to be noncommittal to any semblance of definite trajectory not too long ago.
Before the 76ers started venturing into this forcibly fun lottery race, their season has been marked by gross incompetence across the board. Despite bannering one of the most talented rosters in the league on paper, they have not been able to put it all together thanks to injury and some unprecedented declines from their key players.
Case in point? Look no further than Paul George — arguably the biggest reason as to why the 76ers could not get over the hump this year. He was signed to a max contract last offseason to give the team another primary option, especially when Joel Embiid is out due to injury, yet in nearly every facet of the game, he has seen a tremendous dip in production, culminating in him getting shut down for the rest of the campaign.
The 76ers badly hope they can trade Paul George this summer
There is good reason to believe that this is an aberration for George, but there is even more credence to want getting off the boat right away with the nine-time All-Star. He is signed to one of the worst contracts in the NBA, and there is nothing concrete to hinge the optimistic belief that he can still get back to his All-Star form next season.
In full view of Philly most likely exploring every nook and cranny to be able to trade him, Bleacher Report recently dished out an interesting trade proposal that could just get the job done.
In this trade pitch, the 76ers make a changing of the guards at forward, landing Andrew Wiggins from the Heat with Terry Rozier as a toss-in.
At face value, this is actually a humongous gamble for the Heat. At this point in time, Wiggins is probably more reliable, yet for Miami’s ambitious aspirations despite an equally disappointing season, George arms them with a higher ceiling thanks to his pedigree.
Should Pat Riley prove everyone wrong and finally desire to get that elusive star — albeit a semi-disgruntled one — the 76ers should at least try to offer George and see if he gets the itch to yield to fans.
At this juncture, even parting with a first-round pick — as long as it’s not their selection this year — seems very palatable. Beggars can’t be choosers, and this is perhaps one of the extremely few, viable trade frameworks that would allow the Philadelphia 76ers to undo that giant mistake.