January 25, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Lowry, 37, has the potential to bolster the Sixers' rotation with his ball-handling and three-point shooting.
The NBA Trade Deadline is just two weeks away, and major pieces across the league are starting to move. As Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and his front office contemplates what to do, the time is right for a deadline-centric mailbag. Let's get into your questions:
From @lehmanlaw: Could the Sixers use Kyle Lowry if he is bought out, or is Patrick Beverley enough?
Beverley has been outstanding on both ends of late, and one could say that backup point guard has gone from the Sixers' most glaring hole to a strength. But proper ball-handlers and decision-makers are players you can never have enough of. If anything, adding Lowry to run the second unit and bolster some top-heavy lineups could help accentuate Beverley's skills by letting him focus solely on what he does best and revoking his extraneous ball-handling duties.
Beverley and Lowry are both more than capable of guarding above their listed heights and wingspans. There is no shame in having more than you need in the NBA — in fact, it is often a prerequisite to winning at the highest levels. That is especially true for a Sixers team that has had its depth routinely challenged by injuries this season.
From @chris_sletvold: What are your thoughts on Bruce Brown's fit? Will the Sixers even have enough to get him without being outbid?
Brown, recently dealt from the Indiana Pacers to the Toronto Raptors along with Jordan Nwora and three first-round picks in the Pascal Siakam trade, would be a tremendous addition for any (hopeful) championship contender, and the Sixers are certainly no exception.
Brown would give the Sixers much-needed ball-handling. He would add defensive skill and versatility as a player who can guard multiple positions and across several archetypes of players. He would contribute a whole lot of toughness and he would add very recent championship experience. Brown can slot perfectly into a number of current Sixers' rotation spots as an upgrade as a player who can guard up in small lineups and guard down in big lineups.
Because of all of this, he is expected to have several suitors over the next two weeks — and given Toronto has kickstarted a rebuild, it seems reasonable to expect Brown to eventually land with his third team of the season. Short of the unprotected 2028 first-round pick the Sixers received for the Clippers — which should be off the table barring a true star becoming available — the Sixers should be willing to push the chips in for a player who would boost their championship odds this season and comes with a team option for next season — affording whoever trades for Brown the ability to decide at the end of this season whether or not they would like him back for another year.
From @frite_truite_: If possible, should the Sixers use the majority of their assets on a role player who would look to be a perfect fit, or would they be better off making a smaller move and look for a star in the offseason?
The answer here is simple: Joel Embiid is too good for the Sixers to focus on anything other than winning in the short term. Seasons like the one he is having do not happen regularly — in fact, many NBA franchises have never seen one this good in their entire existences.
That, of course, does not mean the Sixers should be reckless in their search for rotation upgrades. But, as enticing as certain players set to become free agents this summer may be, the top priority of Morey's front office needs to be maximizing the team's chances to win this year. Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Nick Nurse and co. have earned that.
From @buff985: Is a backup five an underrated need for this team?
Calling the backup five spot a "need" may be a bit overzealous, because Paul Reed is a viable option. But Reed's play this year has not been awe-inspiring, even if it may technically be good enough. The Sixers may not need to add another big, but it would certainly make things easier for Nurse if he had another option should Reed struggle in a particular matchup when the playoffs arrive.
What makes sense more than a unitasker, though, would be someone who can log minutes at the four and five — let's say a third-string center behind Embiid and Reed, but also a backup power forward option should someone like Marcus Morris Sr. be moved at the deadline — a distinct possibility given his massive expiring contract worth north of $17 million.
The easiest fit of players who fit said archetype would be Kelly Olynyk of the Utah Jazz, whose blend of shooting and passing make him capable of playing alongside Embiid or perhaps teaming with Maxey in second unit lineups to give the Sixers more reliable actions.
The Sixers do not need to add a center under any and all circumstances before the trade deadline passes. But creating some more optionality at that spot surely cannot hurt.
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