Grade the Trade: 76ers land highly coveted wing in proposed all-in move

Should the 76ers trade for Mikal Bridges?

Philadelphia will be shooting for the stars this offseason, and the franchise has every reason to do so. Teams with as strong of a win-now edict as the 76ers almost never open up the kind of cap space they’ll be touting this summer, and the East’s relatively wide-open nature only incentivizes them to keep pushing their roster (and payroll) to its limits.

Paul George is the name they have zeroed in on, but signing the veteran would immediately handcuff them and limit their roster-building ceiling. However, the same can’t be said for trading for Mikal Bridges, whose contract is much cheaper compared to the former’s expected price tag — one that could be in the max-contract range.

Bridges, one of the league’s perimere perimeter stoppers, is a perfect fit for nearly every team in the NBA and his strengths would only be highlighted and featured further in Philadelphia where he wouldn’t be burdened with taxing responsibilities on the scoring end.

As seen in his Phoenix days, Bridges functions at his best when relegated to a tertiary role as a play finisher so he can lock in on shutting down the opposing team’s best player. That would be his role with the 76ers, and having someone as Dorian Finney-Smith to help him out only makes this trade even more sensible if you’re Philly.

Grade: A-