January 30, 2024
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Tyus Jones has long been considered an elite backup point guard.
All signs point to the Sixers doing something at the NBA's trade deadline. When healthy, the duo of Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid has Philly looking like a fringe title contender.
With assets to move and a desire to improve, the next week and a half will certainly be interesting for Sixers fans. What moves could they possibly be considering? We've poked around the internet to find four mock trades that seem reasonable enough:
Point guard is not entirely an area of need for the Sixers. They have Maxey firing on all cylinders and Patrick Beverly playing well with the second unit. But ESPN insiders suggest strongly that Philadelphia should ship Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr. and two second-round picks down to Washington in exchange for a gifted ball handler in Jones.
Wrote Tim Bontemps:
This deal accomplishes two things for the 76ers: it gets them a proven ball handler to operate the second unit (something this group desperately needs) and it could also help reduce Tyrese Maxey's minutes load. Maxey, the favorite for most improved player, leads the NBA at 37.5 minutes per game -- a big jump from the 33.6 per game he played last season. Jones has played in the postseason each of the past three seasons, has averaged less than a turnover per game every season of his career, and is shooting 41% from 3-point range -- all things the 76ers need.
If the 76ers can make a couple of moves like this to deepen their rotation over the next couple of weeks, it would both give them a real chance to compete with the top teams in the East. It would also give Daryl Morey another option for the 76ers' cap space aside from chasing a star player, which looks less likely to work by the day. [ESPN]
The Sixers need three-point shooting and The Athletic's Law Murray thinks they can put together an enticing package to bring the Reading, Pa. native closer to home.
Who they should target: Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV. The Nets have a surplus of backup guards and that is going to be even more crowded with Ben Simmons possibly returning soon. Walker has only played 18.5 minutes per game, but the Pennsylvania native makes 46.3 percent of his 3s, including 50 percent on his pull-up attempts. He would be an upgrade on Danuel House Jr. [The Athletic]
Once again, shooting is emphasized and CBS's Sam Quinn gives a handful of names the Sixers should target, mentioning that they should be looking for a player in Marcus Morris' salary range to make some kind of straight-up swap (plus picks). The Chicago two-guard is shooting 41.5% from three and is a very appealing option:
Philly is another sensible Caruso team both because of how much his defense would help them and because his tiny salary for next season wouldn't disturb cap space plans. [CBS Sports]
Another Brooklyn shooter is apparently a Philly trade target, as BR has him above Bogdan Bogdanović and Caruso on a theoretical top-three Sixers trade wish list.
Wrote Zach Buckley:
The Sixers have enough trade chips to go star-hunting, but this doesn't feel like the right time to splurge. Dejounte Murray is an imperfect fit alongside Tyrese Maxey. Zach LaVine is overpaid. DeMar DeRozan might shrink some of the attack lanes for Maxey and Joel Embiid.
Philly should look for opportunities to improve, of course, but a high-end role player feels like the best option. Finney-Smith's combination of length, shooting and defensive versatility bump him atop this wish list... [Bleacher Report]
The trade deadline is Thursday, February 8 at 3 p.m. ET.
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