Starting the season with a promising 9-7 record, here are some trade options to push the emerging Philadelphia 76ers to the next level.
At this early stage of the 2017-18, the Philadelphia 76ers have clearly established themselves as a forced to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future. Current holders of a 9-7 record, which includes two one-point losses, the Sixers are setting a pace that is leaps and bounds ahead of their 28-54 record of last season.
Their dynamic duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have been the primary reasons for the seismic shift in the Sixers’ on-court success. Embiid is living up to his recently signed five-year, $148 million extension by averaging 22.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game. Having eclipsed the 30-minute mark in four of his past five games, Embiid is still working his way to full fitness while putting up such incredible numbers.
For his part, Simmons is already the odds-on favorite to take out Rookie of the Year honors by averaging 18.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.9 steals in 34.9 minutes per game. Having already recorded two triple-doubles in his 15 career games, Simmons is thus far enjoying a rookie season comparable to very few players in recent memory.
Furthermore, this duo has been ably supported by perimeter threats in Robert Covington and J.J. Redick. Covington, also recently awarded a contract extension, is enjoying as career year in averaging 16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 31.4 minutes per game, while converting on 3.7 3-pointers per game at a 49.1 percent clip.
The Philadelphia 76ers are the most entertaining team in the NBA this season.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) November 19, 2017
Meanwhile, Redick has provided an ever-steady hand as the starting shooting guard, posting 15.9 points and 3.9 assists in 33.3 minutes per game, while converting at a 35.7 percent clip from long range.
While these players are untouchable, some other members of the Sixers’ roster should be available, and have plenty of currency on the open market.
No. 1 overall pick, Markelle Fultz, has had a nightmare start to his career, completing just four games before succumbing to a shoulder injury. Clearly hampered while on the court, both the Sixers and the league have yet to see Fultz in full flight. A point guard comping out of college, and considering Simmons’ impact as the Sixers’ primary ball-handler, it’s not too premature to say Fultz would likely fulfill his immense potential outside of Philadelphia.
Another Sixer with plenty of value is forward Dario Saric. After finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting last season, Saric commenced this season slowly in a bench role. But after Fultz and Jerry Bayless, Saric has again shown some of the form that impressed onlookers last season.
And then there is the forgotten man of the Sixers, the No. 3 overall selection in 2015, Jahlil Okafor. After a solid rookie campaign that saw him average 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, the emergence of Embiid has reduced Okafor’s role so much that he has played a total of just 25 minutes over two games this season.
So with the key date Dec. 15 quickly approaching in which players who signed new contracts over the summer are eligible to be traded, here are some midseason deals the Sixers could pursue in order to accelerate their climb up the standings.