Philadelphia 76ers: Ranking 5 potential offseason trades

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Philadelphia 76ers trade No. 3

This isn’t the blockbuster deal most of the Philly faithful are hoping for, but it works. To improve without moving either Embiid or Simmons, a point of emphasis for the 76ers this offseason must be outside shooting and floor spacing. Both Omari Spellman and Jacob Evans can help in this area.

95 games is a small sample size, but Spellman is a career 36.6 percent shooter from 3-point territory. The 6’8 forward averaged 13.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1 block per 36 minutes in his first two seasons in the NBA.

In 49 games with the Warriors last season, 35.6 percent of his field-goal attempts came in the way of catch and shoot 3-pointers while knocking them down at a 40 percent clip.

The former 30th overall pick made 40.7 percent of his 54 attempts from 3-point range in 7 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, after being traded to the T’Wolves in the D’Angelo Russell trade.

Spellman will be able to slot in at either forward spot, improve the floor spacing, and allow Horford to flourish with the bench unit.

Evans isn’t the shooter that Spellman is, but he adds depth at the guard position, and he showed potential as a reliable spot-up shooter. In 29 games last season, he knocked down 11 of his 31 attempts in catch and shoot situations.

Zhaire Smith missed most of his rookie season with various ailments and failed to crack the rotation under Brett Brown since. Smith is still a very raw prospect but has shown signs of improvement. In 28 games with the Blue Coats last season, Smith posted .530/.376/.714 shooting splits.

At this stage of his career, Smith fits the Timberwolves timeline of establishing a culture and player development better than he does Doc Rivers’ “win now” approach.