September 04, 2024
Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports
KJ Martin's "balloon deal" signed this offseason will make him a likely trade asset when the Sixers try to upgrade their roster midseason.
Today is Wednesday, and that means the time has come for a weekly Sixers mailbag.
From @Boston__Sucks: If you had to bet everything on one Sixer not named KJ Martin who is most likely to be traded at the trade deadline, who would it be?
Certainly, Martin is the most likely Sixer to be moved. His two-year, $16 million contract with a non-guaranteed season season makes him a prime candidate to be traded; this was likely the primary motivation behind the Sixers giving him a contract with that structure.
Martin aside, though, which player is most likely to be dealt? While I think some have overstated the likelihood of Jared McCain being dealt, the rookie guard probably looms as the player who will factor into trade talks the most for a few reasons.
Because the Sixers are over the first apron, they cannot absorb more money than they send out in any trade. That means finding salary filler is more important than ever. And, believe it or not, the only players on the team's roster slated to earn more dollars than McCain in 2024-25 or than Martin and Andre Drummond are the team's five projected starters. He will make nearly double five players the team has signed to veteran's minimum contracts. Martin and McCain make just about $12 million combined, which would afford the Sixers a chance to add a quality contributor — especially if they added one of those minimum players into the deal as well.
But, of course, trades are about more than salaries, and making the money match is only part of the battle. To get, the Sixers must give, and that means offering teams someone who can help them in the short- or long-term. McCain will be a rookie who was drafted in the middle of the first round last June, with an outlier skill in one of the most important facets of the game as a versatile and accurate three-point shooter.
From @mvpcastro: Any chance the Sixers sign Keve Aluma?
When the Sixers announced they had signed undrafted Syracuse guard Judah Mintz to an Exhibit 10 contract on Sunday, the move occupied their 19th training camp roster spot out of 20. And with the team having made clear that they would only bring 14 standard NBA players to camp, that meant they had one Exhibit 10 slot let to offer.
Aluma was excellent for the Sixers in July's Summer League, displaying an enticing blend of interior finishing, strong rebounding and the occasional three-point shot. It feels like it would be a no-brainer for the Sixers to invite him to training camp on an E10 contract and have him spend the season with the G League Delaware Blue Coats if at all possible.
However, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the team has gone in a different direction: they have agreed to an E10 deal with Jared Brownridge, who has spent plenty of time with the Blue Coats in the past.
The Philadelphia 76ers are signing Jared Brownridge to an Exhibit-10 contract, league sources told @hoopshype. Brownridge has spent the past seven seasons with the Delaware Blue Coats.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) September 3, 2024
Brownridge, 29, is one of the most decorated players in the history of the Sixers' G League affiliate, an absolute sharpshooter from three-point territory at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds. During four collegiate seasons at Santa Clara, Brownridge 40.3 percent from beyond the arc on gargantuan volume: 7.4 long-range attempts per game.
Barring something very much unforeseen, this just about confirms that Aluma will not be with the Sixers this season.
From @BoysFanNPhilly: Do you think we'll see any of the big 3 during preseason?
Barring any injuries taking place between now and Oct. 11 — when the Sixers have their first scheduled preseason game, as things stand at the moment — I would imagine that each of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George will at least get into one game each during the preseason.
NBA teams are careful in the preseason, but they do not take the approach that most NFL teams take these days, for example. The vast majority of players get into at least a game or two, though they will often only play their normal minutes in the first half of a game before bench players and training camp bodies soak up all of the second half minutes.
The symbiosis that Embiid, Maxey and George must create for the next handful of years is crucial, and I could see a world in which Sixers head coach Nick Nurse tries to make sure George has chances to develop chemistry with his two co-stars in the preseason to make his transition a bit smoother. To a degree, this is what the earlier portion of the regular season is for, but it cannot hurt to get a head start.
But, because George's skillset makes him such a clean theoretical fit alongside Embiid and Maxey — and under Nurse — it may not be as imperative for the three players to see much preseason action together as it would for the average new trio of high-volume scorers.
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