At this very juncture, the Philadelphia 76ers are extremely unlikely to make a trade. Including Quentin Grimes, who is only stalling with his free agency demands at this point, the team will be bringing back the majority of their core players next season, although the upcoming season could very well end with the squad looking a bit different, at least on the margins.
Between the start of the regular season until the trade deadline, a lot of things can happen. For the 76ers, that means either bolstering the lineup to reinforce their playoff push, or holding a fire sale to make the most out of their waning chances in the East. Call me an optimist, but my gut tells me that the franchise is ripe for a comeuppance next season.
Having said that, the 76ers cannot just be satisfied to make it back to the postseason loop. Inarguably having the most to prove next season, the team has to make a lot of noise in the playoffs for them to call their upcoming campaign a successful one — heck, that is only the baseline with this group.
As a result, the front office should work even more tirelessly to arm the 76ers with as much reinforcements as possible to the effect that their roster will become as foolproof as it can be.
The 76ers should trade for Goga Bitadze before the deadline
Thanks to Joel Embiid being a massive question mark ahead of the season, the 76ers once again remain thin at center. That is moreso the case given that the team’s other options to fill his void either have very little left in the tank (Andre Drummond) or have very little experience having a prominent role (Adem Bona and Johni Broome).
Before the deadline, the 76ers have to seek an upgrade at the backup center position, and there is arguably no better option for them within the realm of reality than current Magic center Goga Bitadze. He is making just around $8 million annually over the next two years, meaning that he is on a very reasonable deal which should be easy to mount a trade offer for.
Bitadze, who turned in a very productive campaign last year, would alleviate a lot of problems for the 76ers at center. He is a very effective deterrent at the rim, something which completely eluded Drummond in his return to Philly. And unlike the latter, the Georgian big man is also an efficient finisher above the rim.
It should not take much to compel the Magic to make Bitadze available for plucking. Orlando has an increasingly expensive roster, and trading BItadze would allow them to have more savings as they start treading away from the tax aprons.
Goga BItadze is basically the perfect player for the Philadelphia 76ers to target before next year’s deadline. Hopefully, the front office shares the same sentiment if they truly want to reinforce their depth behind Joel Embiid.