How Thybulle, Korkmaz Trades Could Help 76ers Bolster Roster Amid Latest Rumors

The Philadelphia 76ers have a depth issue.

The concerns regarding the effectiveness of the second unit were apparent in Sunday's 108-97 loss to the New York Knicks.

Every member of the Sixers bench unit posted a plus/minus of -14 or worse, per Basketball Reference, and Tyrese Maxey accounted for 12 of the 16 bench points.

Philadelphia needs to find a way to get deeper before Thursday's NBA trade deadline passes, and one avenue to that improvement is dealing Matisse Thybulle and Furkan Korkmaz for better assets.

Thybulle has reported interest from the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings, per NBA insider Marc Stein. And Korkmaz requested a trade this week, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Thybulle is averaging 19.8 minutes this season. He is known most for his defense, which makes him an intriguing addition for a team looking to build up its second unit.

Korkmaz, a three-point ace in previous seasons, has been out of the rotation for most of the 2022-23 campaign. He appeared in 14 games and has played more than 20 minutes once since December 1.

Philadelphia could flip both 25-year-olds in a trade for a depth player instead of moving around draft picks in deals with multiple teams right before the deadline.

The reserve players have not scored on a consistent basis for most of the season. The Sixers rank 23rd in the NBA in bench points per game, per StatMuse.

The low point average is more confounding when you see the Sixers are sixth in two-point field-goal percentage and seventh in three-point field-goal percentage among bench units.

The scoring volume is not there for them right now, and they need to get creative to bring in help before Thursday.

For example, Utah's Jarred Vanderbilt could be an ideal fit behind Joel Embiid and P.J. Tucker.

Vanderbilt would give the Sixers an extra body to attack the glass alongside Montrezl Harrell on the second unit and that could prevent a dip in production, such as the one we saw on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that Utah received an offer of multiple second-round picks from a Western Conference team for Vanderbilt. The former Minnesota forward is averaging a career high of 8.3 points per game as well as 7.9 rebounds per contest.

Philadelphia could jump into the Vanderbilt sweepstakes by offering one or both of Thybulle and Korkmaz and a draft pick or two to move to the front of the line in Utah's trade conversations.

Thybulle is a restricted free agent this summer and Korkmaz has one year left on his contract. Those two deals could be viewed as perfect for Utah's rebuild since they would not take up much salary-cap space.

A Thybulle-Korkmaz deal might be enough to pry Vanderbilt away from the Jazz. Thybulle would likely carry the most value on the trade market as a whole because of his defensive abilities, which could help a second unit.

A potential Vanderbilt trade could allow the Sixers to get better down low on their second unit and rob the Celtics of an opportunity to do so as well. Boston needs help in the paint behind Robert Williams III.

Some contenders may try to acquire Thybulle on his own, but the Sixers may only get a draft pick or two out of that potential deal, instead of an extra body who can help the second unit right away. A corresponding trade with draft picks would have to be made to address Philadelphia's issues.

The same scenario could apply to Korkmaz. The Sixers should not offload the players just for the sake of making trades. They need to make purposeful moves so they are in the best position possible to compete with the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers could use addition by subtraction by landing one player in exchange for two, one with offensive limitations and the other who does not play in this current rotation.

Vanderbilt should not be the only option, though. The Sixers can look around on the frontcourt backup market to see who else is available, and if they are interested in bringing on Thybulle and/or Korkmaz.

The Sixers need to make some sort of move to solidify their depth, and they must utilize the interest in Thybulle and Korkmaz's desire to leave to facilitate the deal.