Many NBA teams have upgraded; will Philly make a deal?
There’s a chance there could be plenty of disappointed 76ers fans come Friday morning.
That’s because it appears unlikely that the Sixers will make a blockbuster deal before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
Never mind that they acquired Seth Curry and trade exceptions from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Josh Richardson and the 36th overall pick (Tyler Bey) on draft night in November. Forget that Danny Green was the headline acquisition in a multiplayer trade that sent Al Horford and his expensive contract to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And disregard the Sixers’ free-agent signing of fan favorite and future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard. Folks want more.
The expectation in Philly was that Daryl Morey would also make a major splash at the trade deadline the moment the Sixers hired him as president of basketball operations on Nov. 2. And right about now, folks are consumed with who could be on the roster more so than who’s actually on it.
However, the Sixers will tell you they can win the NBA title with this roster.
They sure looked that way Saturday night, routing the Sacramento Kings, 129-105, at the Wells Fargo Center despite playing without starters Joel Embiid (left knee bone bruise), Ben Simmons (left knee soreness) and Curry (sprained left ankle). At 29-13, they’re a game ahead of the second-place Brooklyn Nets atop the Eastern Conference standings.
In addition to that, the Sixers have the league’s second-best record behind the 30-11 Utah Jazz.
But the Sixers’ stiffest conference competition, the Nets, third-place Milwaukee Bucks and the fourth-place Miami Heat, recently added key pieces to their rosters in pursuit of a title. There’s also a belief that the Boston Celtics make a move to bolster their chances.
After beating out the Sixers for the service of 2018 league MVP James Harden on Jan. 13, the Nets signed six-time All-Star Blake Griffin on March 8. That was three days after Griffin was bought out of his Detroit Pistons contract.
Meanwhile, the Heat (22-20) acquired Trevor Ariza from the Thunder in exchange for Meyers Leonard, a 2027 secondround pick and a trade exception Wednesday. The Bucks’ acquisition of P.J. Tucker and Rodions Kurucs from the Rockets in exchange for D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson became official Friday.
In Ariza, the Heat have a win-now player, who complements the games of Miami’s leading duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
“He’skindoflikeathree-and-defensive guy,” Adebayo said of Ariza. “Defense helps us at the end of the day and he spaces the floor. I feel like that will go well with me and Jimmy.”
Tucker was the headliner of the Bucks-Rockets deal.
His presence gives Milwaukee three players, in Tucker, Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo, capable of guarding Brooklyn’s three-headed monster of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Harden.
In addition to being a solid defender, Tucker is a quality three-point shooter — especially from the corners. The undersized power forward, who can guard multiple positions, feels like he’s the missing link for the Bucks’ first NBA title since 1971.
“My main goal is to win a championship. That’s easy,” Tucker said Friday. “That’s the only reason I’m here. I feel like we’ve got a chance to win a championship and do something special.”
What about the Sixers? What are they doing to do combat the pretrade deadline chess moves by the Nets and Bucks?
Toronto Raptors point guard and Philly native Kyle Lowry or Houston Rockets shooting guard Victor Olapido would be major acquisitions. But in regards to Lowry, the Raptors recently informed interested teams they weren’t parting ways with the six-time All-Star.
Oladipo is a good player, but might not be a good fit. Like Lowry, his contract expires at the conclusion of this season. The Sixers could give up assets only to lose him at season’s end. So that might not be worth it unless you get a sense that he’ll willing to stay.
Oklahoma City point guard George Hill, Pistons combo guard Delon Wright and Kings power forward Nemanja Bjelica have all been mentioned as potential trade candidates for the Sixers.