Long before taking over in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ front office, Daryl Morey built a reputation of being an executive always looking to make a trade. In these final weeks before the ramp-up to a new season, he appears to be surveying the market in hopes of bolstering the roster.
Following the signing of Paul George last summer, Morey’s job has become a little harder. The NBA’s new CBA has made it harder to build top-heavy teams, leaving Philadelphia with minimal financial flexibility to avoid the aprons and the limitations that come with them.
Coming off a season that fell short of expectations, the Sixers are eager to get back in the hunt in the Eastern Conference. In accordance with these, Morey has reportedly been attempting to shed salary in an effort to better equip the supporting cast around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.
Feb 7, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) dunks in the first half against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Ahead of free agency, Sixers veterans Kelly Oubre and Andre Drummond each decided to accept their player options for 2026 instead of hitting the open market. However, they still could find themselves on the move at some point.
Throughout the summer, there have been various reports of the Sixers gauging the market for both Oubre and Drummond.
During his latest roundup of intel from across the league, insider Jake Fischer touched on the trade rumblings surrounding the Sixers. He noted that Morey could be looking to part with them in an effort to ink restricted free agent Quentin Grimes to a contract extension.
“As I covered on a recent Bleacher Report video stream, Philadelphia has explored the potential trade landscape at various points this summer for Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr. to theoretically create some additional financial flexibility to make the re-signing of Grimes more comfortable,” Fischer wrote. “Maybe a move does materialize for one of those veterans at some point, but I must stress that the Sixers do not appear to be operating with some sort of clear-cut directive to trade either player at the moment.”
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— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) September 12, 2025
With Adem Bona showing promise as a rookie and the Sixers drafting an older prospect in Johni Broome in the second round, Drummond could be seen as expendable. The former All-Star was also one of many Sixers to spend most of last year on the sidelines, appearing in just 40 games in the regular season.
Though his shooting numbers took a slight dip, Oubre still provided a strong scoring punch for the Sixers in 2025. Aside from the financial flexibility, parting with him could also open up more time for some of the younger players to get consistent minutes and keep growing in their development.
Only time will tell if a team decides to roll the dice on either player before camp gets underway.