A tad above the quarter mark of the season, the Philadelphia 76ers are currently in possession of a 7-16 win-loss card, a record that has them disappointingly lounged at 12th place in the Eastern Conference. This disastrous start has given fans every reason to disbelieve the franchise’s vision, and what were once shiny hopes of winning the title have tarnished pretty hard.
With their horrific start in full view, the 76ers will be once again expected to undergo a midseason roster turnover, and with the trade season having just begun, albeit unofficially, the front office could not get a better timing to make some changes and potentially put the team in better position to turn their season around.
Philadelphia has eight players whose trade restrictions have just been lifted, giving the team much more flexibility and optionality in the transaction tables. Here is a definitive ranking of every trade-eligible 76ers player by trade likelihood.
Ranking every eligible 76ers player by trade likelihood
8. Paul George
Despite an underwhelming personal campaign for the nine-time All-Star so far, there is little to no possibility of George getting shipped elsewhere. Not only is it way too early to drop the hammer on him, but there is literally no team ideally positioned to eat his max contract.
7. Guerschon Yabusele
There’s simply no good reason for even entertaining the thought of trading Yabusele, who has been one of the most stable players for the 76ers this season. He provides way too much value as a malleable frontcourt piece who can defend, hit three-pointers, and punish smaller defenders in the paint.
6. Andre Drummond
Drummond hasn’t been as good as expected this season, but that is largely due to him having to take on a bigger role with Joel Embiid consistently sidelined. Expect him to put up better showings in more limited servings.
5. Kyle Lowry
Lowry hasn’t become pretty expendable, but the reason why he’s relatively low on this list is because of the high improbability that some other team goes to such lengths as to specifically trade for him at this point in his career.
4. Reggie Jackson
Similar to Lowry, there aren’t a lot of reasons to pinpoint to Reggie Jackson as a specific trade target. He is barely even playing, and has looked really slow in his intermittent appearances.
3. Caleb Martin
One of the biggest disappointments so far for the 76ers, Martin has not lived up to his billing as a solid, two-way connector. What was thought of as a bargain bin deal has turned sour, and unless he turns his season around, the front office is likely to seek an upgrade over him.
2. Eric Gordon
It’s easy to envision a scenario where the 76ers warm up to the idea of trading Eric Gordon even for the smallest of returns. He’s been that bad this season. There’s really no other way to put it.
1. Kelly Oubre Jr.
With the 76ers missing one to two of their stars almost on a nightly basis, Oubre’s inefficiency has become even more pronounced. While he is signed to a very reasonable deal, he is an easy path toward a positional upgrade for the team, as he is still plenty attractive for other clubs looking for a second-unit jolt.