As the Philadelphia 76ers’ championship aspirations went down the drain this season, the franchise should now be looking forward to a bevy of personnel moves they could pursue to catapult the team to elite contention.
Team general manager Elton Brand already emphasized that he is not open to letting go of All-Stars Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, which should mean that the members of the Sixers’ supporting cast are up for grabs.
Having said that, Philly’s scoring forward Tobias Harris could be wearing new threads starting next season. His abysmal performance in the bubble, particularly in the playoffs, was a far cry from the borderline All-Star that he was during his Clippers days. While Harris was not necessarily bad the whole season, the absence of the injured Simmons should have provided him the opportunity to rack up the buckets on offense.
With the Sixers also firing long-time head coach Brett Brown, they could also make drastic changes on the roster, including the potential shipping of Harris. Here’s a list of some intriguing trade destinations for the veteran combo forward.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Given the fact that the Al Horford experiment didn’t come through, it’s expected that the Sixers will eventually trade him. Embiid and Simmons are still fairly young, and they need every veteran presence around them as much as possible. There’s no one in the league who provides the leadership and court smarts that only Chris Paul can give, making him a possible trade target for the Sixers.
While the Thunder may not agree in taking in Horford’s contract, the Sixers could use Harris as the centerpiece of the trade deal. Harris gives the Thunder a replacement for Danilo Gallinari, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
Paul may be the most valuable player on the Thunder squad, but they have Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ready to take over the reins on the point guard position.
Washington Wizards
Bradley Beal has always reiterated his loyalty to the Wizards franchise, but there’s no doubt that his patience is already growing thin. The chance to team up with the Embiid-Simmons duo and bring a championship to a big basketball city like Philadelphia could be hard to pass up for Beal.
The Sixers would love to have a prime superstar like Beal, and they could offer a package of Harris and young gun Matisse Thybulle as a starting point for negotiations. Washington would also ask for multiple future draft picks, which the Sixers front office would be more than happy to oblige.
Indiana Pacers
With Victor Oladipo entering unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2021, there are speculations that the Pacers might trade him next season rather than letting him walk for nothing. Philly can take advantage of that opportunity, and offer Harris to Indy in exchange for Oladipo.
While Oladipo has grown into the main star with the Pacers, he is adept in finding his spots off-the-ball and his trump card still lies on the defensive end. ‘Dipo has shown flashes of his old All-Star self in the bubble, and if his combination with Simmons and Embiid goes well, the Sixers may have their own version of the Big 3 for the years to come.