NBA Trades: 5 splashy deals the Sixers can make to land a third star

NBA Trade #1: The Sixers trade for Zach LaVine

If the Sixers decide to pass on DeRozan, they could instead pursue his teammate, Zach LaVine. The Bulls appear much less willing to move on from LaVine but if the Bulls struggle, then they may change their minds and the Sixers would make sense as trade partners. With Tobias Harris’ $39 million expiring contract, the Sixers could easily match salaries without having to give up multiple players.

With four years remaining on his contract, LaVine would cost more in terms of assets, though his $178 million in remaining salary might scare teams away. Still, the Sixers could use the two firsts received in the Harden deal to pair him with Embiid and Maxey. That would decrease the need for them to rely on free agency to add another star and they would still have around $20 million remaining in the summer of 2024.

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Of course, they would have to fill out their roster around those three, with that maybe going to one or two players before having to sign players to minimum contracts. That might be a favorable option since they won’t worry about re-signing LaVine since he is already under contract and they could potentially still add that core.