As everyone already know by now, the Philadelphia 76ers did not really have winning in mind when they pulled the trigger on the three trades they made before the deadline. With the team still stuck outside the postseason picture, the front office came to the interesting decision to ship three rotation players away while receiving two players who do not necessarily address the weaknesses on their roster.
But despite their up-and-down play as of late, it would be glib to just pencil them as being in active pursuit of a high lottery pick this season. The 76ers are still not terrible enough to completely die out in the next month or so, and the East’s mediocre depth has it that even being 11 games below .500 makes them just a single game behind the 10th-seeded Bulls.
The safe bet, however, is the front office still remaining aggressive in finding potential rotation cogs, this time in the buyout market. Philadelphia has a lot of options to choose from, and this time around, they should not be as hindered as in years past when popular buyout candidates simply went to the usual, flashy destinations thanks to a new rule.
Tempting reunion between the 76ers and Ben Simmons is now out of the picture
One player who notably entered the buyout market recently is Ben Simmons. The former 76ers All-Star agreed to a buyout with the Brooklyn Nets, which allowed him to enter the market, albeit for not much longer, as the LA Clippers quickly went in to sign him.
Simmons’ fallout has been rather drastic and swift, but he has actually been more than serviceable this season, averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per outing in limited minutes. Noe, he goes to a defensive-minded Clippers team with the chance to blend in well give his skill set.
While the 76ers definitely did not register any interest on reuniting with their former star, before the latter signed with the Clippers, there was some credence to Philly perhaps taking a flier on him. After all, he provides two things the team desperately needs at this juncture: playmaking and size.
Philadelphia badly needs better facilitating, and the exit of both Martin leaves them with a gaping hole in the frontcourt. While his scoring has become negligible, Simmons remains a lethal playmaker who can still play stellar defense in the right situations.
But for now, that tempting scenario would remain an extremely unlikely actuation for the Philadelphia 76ers. Fortunately, it seems like no one in the fanbase would bat an eye on this omission.