The Philadelphia 76ers, as if clockwork, are widely expected to be one of the major players in the trade market this season — an unprecedented development for a team initially projected to be one fo the top teams in the league following a wild free agency bounty that saw the club undergo a drastic makeover.
However, a midseason trade has morphed into a matter of necessity. There is only so much in-house growth possible for a team already adorned with a horrific 8-16 record to fix itself, and the team’s never-ending bout with the injury bug only reinforces that need. Put simply, they badly need a trade to improve their on-court situation.
The trade season has already began, and while there has only been one deal so far, expect the transaction tables to ramp it up as we inch closer to the end of the calendar year. The rumor mill is already churning hard, and the 76ers themselves are a frequent customer in it nowadays.
Lonzo Ball would have been a perfect trade target for the 76ers
One trade candidate who has emerged as of late is Bulls guard Lonzo Ball. After missing two and a half seasons due to injury, the talented playmaker made his successful return this season, looking like his old, stabilizing self in spurts.
Nevertheless, Chicago is rumored to be aggressively shopping Ball in trade talks, primarily due to his contract expiring at the end of the campaign. He is set to enter unrestricted free agency next year, and the Bulls would like to extract something in exchange for the 27-year-old.
The 76ers would have been a perfect destination for Ball, but his contract is way too bloated for the team to willingly absorb. They would have to part with a combination of Caleb Martin, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, KJ Martin, and other pot sweeteners — a price that is way too much for an even bigger injury risk who can just leave them next summer.
Still, it’s worth daydreaming about how seamless of a fit Ball would have been playing as a Sixer. As a tall point guard, he would fix a lot of the team’s problems on the playmaking department while also offering a bigger package defensively than any other guard on the roster.
Unfortunately, such is the red flag with Lonzo Ball, and the Philadelphia 76ers simply aren’t in a position to be the ones to fix it.