Early-Season Trade Targets for Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are in a rare position when it comes to who they will most likely target in a potential trade.
The Sixers aren't looking for the missing piece of the puzzle who will push them over the brink and turn them into a NBA title contender. Let's be honest: A specific upgrade wouldn't even get them into the postseason.
Instead, Philadelphia is in the market for a player who will contribute toward the future—not necessarily right now.
The negative aspect of acquiring these types of guys is that the short-term value is relatively low. They're generally not the most talented players, yet they fill a specific role or weak spot.
There might be a glaring downside, but the great part about these trades is how the positives generally outweigh any of the negatives. One of the keys is how a less valuable target requires less valuable trade bait. On top of that, if the acquisition doesn't work out, then Philly didn't have to give up much to get him in the first place.
Dion Waiters
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There's no doubt about this being a long shot of a trade, but we have to inject some fun into things, right?
There are two immediate questions that come to mind when it comes to Dion Waiters. The first is: Why would he and the Sixers be a good fit? The second is: Why in the world would the Cleveland Cavaliers even think about making this move?
Let's start with the fact that Waiters is from Philly. If LeBron James' decision to play in Cleveland was any indication, then it's clear that most people would relish the opportunity to play in their hometown. There's also a clear need for a quality young shooting guard on the Sixers. Combine those two aspects, and it's obvious that he would be a great fit.
The answer to the second question is a little more complicated.
The Cavs are already equipped to make a run for the championship, but there's something the Sixers have that Cleveland could use.
Draft picks.
Philadelphia has two first-round picks—one of which is protected—in the 2015 draft. If general manager Sam Hinkie believes that Waiters is worth one of those picks on top of a player or two on the roster, then it would give the Cavaliers something to think about.
Again, trading for Waters is a long shot. Nevertheless, he's somebody to keep an eye on as the season continues.
Bismack Biyombo
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Having Nerlens Noel and a future Joel Embiid means the Sixers should be set in the frontcourt for years to come. The recent emergence of Henry Sims even helps to solidify the bench for their bigs.
Three solid centers and power forwards is a great start, but a roster can always do with more depth, especially on the defensive end of the floor.
Bismack Biyombo is a liability with the ball in his hands; however, he is still one of the NBA's best rim-protectors. The importance of having a guy come off the bench without any defensive drop-off can't be forgotten.
The best part of this deal is how Biyombo has played a total of three minutes for the Charlotte Hornets all year.
Rick Bonell of the Charlotte Observer wrote an article about Biyombo's recent lack of playing time. Here's what Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford had to say:
"In the preseason he just didn’t play very well. When he has the right energy level and thinking defense and rebounding, he has nights when he plays well. When he doesn’t do those things, the team doesn’t play as well when he’s out there.
His first two years (in the NBA) his team defense was somewhere between average and below average. Last year his rebounding and team defense became at times very, very good. If he can get those two areas back to that level, then he can be a very good player."
It would take the Sixers being willing to overlook this major problem—and hope it's related to him being upset about his situation—for him to be a good fit in Philadelphia.
Perry Jones III
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Perry Jones III is having the best season of his career, and it could be exactly what makes the Oklahoma City Thunder sell high while his value is at its best.
Jones is putting up 15 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 32.8 minutes per game. He's finally beginning to live up to the crazy amount of hype he brought out of Baylor University.
The hype was very real too. A 6'11" small forward is difficult to come by in general. Combine that kind of size with Jones' ridiculous athleticism, and it's easy to see why he was looked at as a potential No. 1 pick going into his last year of college.
Unfortunately for Jones, his development has been incredibly slow. There have been questions about if he'd ever turn into a legitimate NBA player.
It's taken some time, but it looks as though he's finally coming around. On top of that, he is only 23 years old. He falls right into Philadelphia's sweet spot when it comes to age and fits in perfectly, as the Sixers are thin at small forward.
Assessing Jones as a potential trade target will take some time, though. Teams will want to make sure that his early performance is because he's gotten better and not because of a small sample size. Speaking of which, they'll also want to make sure he's healthy, as he's only played in five games thus far.
The young Sixers could use a player with Jones' physical tools. Combine those with an increasing set of skills, and the Jones and Philly could be a good match.
Eric Gordon
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The Sixers might not have much luck making another deal with the New Orleans Pelicans after almost clearly coming out on top of the Jrue Holiday trade, but trying to get Eric Gordon actually makes a lot of sense.
His abysmal shooting of 28.8 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from deep doesn't do anything to move the deal forward.
This one is almost purely financial.
Gordon is set to make nearly $15 million this season and has a player option going into the offseason that will dictate if he makes another $15.5 million next year. That's a ridiculously huge contract for the Pelicans, and he's simply not worth close to that kind of money.
In fact, Bleacher Report's Dan Favale recently described how bad Gordon's contract really is:
"Seven years into his NBA career he's still a question mark, a talented player who has yet to establish himself as anything more or better than a promising prospect. His early-season failures thus far have only sealed his immediate standing.
Given what he was supposed to be—New Orleans' franchise cornerstone—he's a demonstrative disappointment. His contract reflects that of a superstar, his numbers resemble those of an afterthought.
"
Those honest yet harsh words accurately describe what Gordon's contract means to the Pelicans. The best part is that Philadelphia has more than enough cap space to absorb his contract and potentially get somebody or something of value as well. Someone like Austin Rivers or Russ Smith, for example, would be a nice addition.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, the Sixers have a payroll of a little over $38 million. Compare that to the NBA's $63 million salary cap, and you see Philadelphia has $25 million of extra money before even going over the cap.
There's more than enough space for Gordon on Philly's roster. It just comes down to if the Sixers want to gamble with taking on a player who's been trending downhill for years now.
Anybody Packaged with a Draft Pick
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This doesn't qualify as a specific player, but does the slide come as any surprise?
Hinkie is the king of acquiring draft picks by wheeling-and-dealing near the trade deadline, so there's a chance he'll take anybody if they're packaged with a draft pick. Having seven picks going into the 2014 draft is proof of that.
There's no telling as to what he'll do when the next draft rolls around.
Philadelphia currently has seven selections in next year's draft—four of which are protected in some way. Could Hinkie get extra crazy and push that number into the double-digit range by the 2015 draft?
We shouldn't put it past him.
If an organization wants to offer up any kind of draft pick, then you can guarantee that Philadelphia will be a potential landing spot.
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