It\u2019s officially Dec. 15! A somewhat pivotal day in the NBA calendar, as all contracts in the league (most notably ones signed just over six months ago in the summer) become tradeable. Even more importantly, players traded today and tomorrow can have their salaries aggregated in additional deals ahead of this year\u2019s deadline.<\/p>\n
So, with NBA trade talk destined to heat up, what exactly should the Sixers trade for? Should they be buyers? Sellers? Who will get moved in the annual salary dump? Should they empty the clip for an MVP-caliber player who may or may not be available in Giannis Antetokounmpo? Or should they look elsewhere?<\/p>\n
The Sixers are an unorthodox team in the sense that there isn\u2019t a clear-cut timeline, at least not yet. Let\u2019s survey the landscape and try to gauge some potential trade candidates for this year, or beyond. We\u2019ll start with smaller deals and progressively scale up to the biggest names.<\/p>\n
The annual Sixers salary dump<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen the Sixers trim salary before, and at this point it\u2019s almost an annual tradition. This year should be no exception, as the Sixers are just under $7 million into the luxury tax. It\u2019s also worth mentioning that they have $1,063,493 in first apron space and are $12,942,493 under the second apron.<\/p>\n
So, if or when the Sixers look to move salary, who will it be?<\/p>\n
As things stand, it\u2019s highly unlikely they\u2019ll look to move one of their massive contracts in Tyrese Maxey, Paul George or Joel Embiid. VJ Edgecombe is the next highest salary at $11.1 million this season, but we all know he\u2019s going nowhere. Beyond that, the Sixers have Quentin Grimes ($8.7M), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.3M) and Andre Drummond ($5M) as notable salaries close to that $7 million luxury tax number.<\/p>\n
I won\u2019t touch on Grimes too much here. He has new representation that should help him actually negotiate a new contract in good faith. He\u2019s also been a massive part of the Sixers\u2019 three-guard lineup, which has produced their best numbers this year. On top of that, he has a no-trade clause, meaning he\u2019s not signing off on a move unless he wants it.<\/p>\n
That leaves Oubre and Drummond as potential candidates in a cost-cutting move.<\/p>\n
Trading away Oubre\u2019s $8.3 million and taking back a salary less than $1.3 million, or no salary at all, would get the Sixers fully out of the luxury tax. I would be strongly against this type of move. Oubre played strong basketball before going down with injury. He\u2019s been overextended for most of his Sixers tenure, but he\u2019s an excellent gap-filler and a good addition whether the Sixers are trying to win now with George and Embiid or lean into the youth movement. It also goes against Daryl Morey\u2019s MO. He simply doesn\u2019t trade productive players and assets purely for cost savings.<\/p>\n
That brings us to Drummond, who would be the most likely candidate. His salary doesn\u2019t fully get the Sixers out of the luxury tax, but it does get them close. Theoretically, the Sixers could also trade one of Kyle Lowry or Eric Gordon along with Drummond, which would get them out of the tax and open up a roster spot. With their preexisting open roster spot, that\u2019s two slots that could go to Jabari Walker or Dominick Barlow, both of whom are on two-way contracts and will need to be converted at some point this season.<\/p>\n
There are several teams projected to have space next summer, but only two really stand out as salary-dumping grounds this season: the Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets. To incentivize a move, the Sixers would likely need to send out a second-round pick or two to get Drummond and another cheap salary off the books.<\/p>\n
Is it worth it? In my opinion, no. Drummond has had a resurgence this year and has been productive. But the Sixers aren\u2019t surefire contenders, and ownership or other higher-ups will use that to justify moves like this. Helicopter fuel ain\u2019t cheap, guys.<\/p>\n
Some under-the-radar candidates<\/p>\n
With the Sixers stuck between two timelines, it\u2019s likely we see a middle-of-the-road type of deal. But who could be available for a reasonable price and also blend with the current core?<\/p>\n
The list isn\u2019t long, but there are a few names to watch.<\/p>\n
At this point, Ellis has become almost too popular of a name to be truly under the radar, but I\u2019m still listing him here. Ellis is just 25 years old and, for reasons nobody can quite figure out, has fallen out of Sacramento\u2019s rotation more often than not.<\/p>\n
He put together a strong season last year, averaging 8.3 points in 24.4 minutes per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three on four attempts per game. While the Sixers don\u2019t necessarily need another guard (I already hear your comments), Ellis is probably better than his numbers suggest. And at 6-foot-4, he isn\u2019t small. He\u2019s also on an incredibly cheap contract for salary-matching purposes at $2.3 million.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t sell the house for Ellis, but the Kings clearly don\u2019t value him the way the rest of the league might. That could mean they\u2019d listen if they like the deal enough. They\u2019re also stuck in no man\u2019s land, so who knows what they could be talked into.<\/p>\n
Huff might be my favorite trade target that nobody really brings up. He\u2019d blend tremendously with this Sixers group. He\u2019s a per-minute machine, averaging 19.4 minutes per game and 2.5 blocks per game. He\u2019s also putting up 8.1 points while shooting a respectable 33 percent from three on nearly 4.6 attempts per game.<\/p>\n
Theoretically, you could run him as a forward next to Embiid or another big, or have him patrolling the rim himself.<\/p>\n
The Pacers are in a bit of a gap year, which means almost anything is on the table as they retool. Myles Turner\u2019s departure has them looking for a big, and while Huff has produced, I\u2019m not sure he\u2019s the No. 1 option on a team with real aspirations. I don\u2019t expect Indiana to shop him outright, but if they can turn a late-addition signee into assets, that could be enough.<\/p>\n
Huff is on a very team-friendly contract over the next three years, making $2.3M, $2.6M, and $3M through 2027\u201328. He\u2019s 27 years old, which is slightly older than this team\u2019s core, but there isn\u2019t much mileage on his body.<\/p>\n
Missi is just 21 years old and coming off what was widely considered a strong rookie campaign, one that landed him on the All-Rookie Second Team just a year ago. So why would the Pelicans move him?<\/p>\n
Well, because they didn\u2019t have Derik Queen last year. Queen has put together one of the better rookie campaigns in a deep draft class. Add in Zion Williamson, who is around the team (sometimes), and Missi\u2019s minutes have dipped to 18.8 per game this season after averaging 26.8 a year ago. The Pelicans also handed out a $16 million deal to veteran Kevon Looney and a minimum contract to our old friend DeAndre Jordan, who is somehow still hanging around.<\/p>\n