As the Philadelphia 76ers get the ball rolling this offseason, they’ve apparently started trimming the fat, doubling down on players they are actually interested in and shelving those who belong to the other end of the spectrum.
Just recently, reports have popped up that the 76ers are striking their names out of the Paul George sweepstakes, a pretty surprising turn of events for a franchise headed by Daryl Morey, the poster child of going full throttle for any big name reckoned to be available. Nonetheless, Philly should continue cutting down its list, and here are four trade candidates they should scrap and put on the trash bin.
1. No, Zach LaVine isn’t going to the 76ers
Zach LaVine has been a frequent name linked to the 76ers since the previous offseason, casually floated around as a potential third fiddle who could thrive next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Philly, in the aftermath of their George surrender, is rumored to have the two-time All-Star as one of their fallback options, though he’s not their desired piece.
The 76ers should just go ahead and shatter whatever reasonable window there is on the LaVine to Philadelphia train. While his theoretical fit on the team seems ideal on paper, the reality is that he is an injury-prone star who doesn’t really fill an urgent need, and his decline this season when he suited up cannot be ignored.
Few players tout the kind of efficiency that LaVine boasts in the context of being a high-volume, perimeter-oriented scorer. But if he struggled finding his consistent footing on a team with two other high-usage veterans and a budding star, what inspires anyone to believe that he can unlock the puzzle on a 76ers team led by a Most Valuable Player and a breakout star coming off a pretty major injury?