December 26, 2023
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has his work cut out for him this winter.
With the NBA season now in full swing and the volume of trade chatter increasing, now is as good of a time as any for the first Sixers mailbag of the season. Let's get into your questions:
From @Flantico812: Who would you rather trade for: a secondary creator for the bench or a 3&D player to insert in the starting lineup?
Trade preferences do always hinge on the quality of the player in question and what it would cost to acquire them. But if all things are equal, the Sixers' main priority should be finding a guard who can dribble, shoot and pass. It sounds simple, but Tyrese Maxey is the only player on the roster who that description applies to right now. Patrick Beverley's play has improved a lot in recent weeks, but he will never be more than competent on offense, and the Sixers' need for additional ball-handling outside of Maxey is evident.
From @bojensonmedia: Realistic backup ball handling options and other depth options in the trade market as presented
Alex Caruso is the most obvious choice here, though defense is his main skill. Guys like Monte Morris and Gordon Hayward may also make sense, depending on cost. Delon Wright is another option. My favorite candidate outside of Caruso is likely Tyus Jones of the Washington Wizards, long renowned as an elite backup point guard.
From @JarydDelBonis: Who is an outlier but realistic trade target?
Markelle Fultz.
I know this sounds crazy. But Fultz has been dealing with nagging injury issues that have prevented him from playing for an Orlando Magic team that is already loaded with young guards. With Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs and rookie Anthony Black all on roster, plus Fultz being on an expiring contract, it seems feasible that Orlando would be willing to listen to offers on the former top overall pick. The Sixers would be adding secondary creation and versatile perimeter defense, even if not much shooting. It's a long shot — but it's an outlier.
From @zteutsch: Who are some players on the Sixers that would be more valuable to another team?
One guy stands out here, and that is KJ Martin. Martin has been mostly glued to the bench since arriving in Philadelphia, but he has experience. Martin averaged 28.0 minutes per game last year in 82 games for the Houston Rockets, averaging 12.7 points per game. His defensive acumen and outstanding athleticism make him an intriguing young player, and any team that acquires him would have full bird rights, meaning they could easily sign him in free agency next summer if they choose to do so.
From @ReidMitchell13: There is a lot of talk about picking up a big contract at the deadline (a la Zach LaVine or OG Anunoby) but wouldn't there be more options in the summer where we would have to surrender zero picks?
While it's easier to trade for a star than woo one in free agency, the Sixers doing the latter remains a strong possibility due to President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and his front office preaching patience. Anunoby will likely hit free agency this summer, making him an option there. His current teammate, Pascal Siakam, may be the best player for the Sixers to realistically target as a free agent this summer. A dream scenario? The Los Angeles Clippers melt down in the playoffs, and someone like Paul George ponders playing for another team.
From @Jonahryan17: What is Maxey's contract going to look like?
Maxey is going to get a max. He was on the cusp of being a max-caliber player before this season, and with the year he has had so far he has affirmed his status as one of the league's elite players. The only reason Maxey hasn't already gotten paid is that waiting until the summer of 2024 to give him a new deal saves the Sixers a lot of cap space that they want to use on a star.
From @mattyxyzed: Is Nick Nurse not playing Robert Covington because he is part of a deal that is agreed to but needs to wait until the aggregation deadline?
For those unaware, on Saturday, Covington, Martin, Marcus Morris Sr. and Nic Batum become eligible to be aggregated with other players' salaries in a trade — as opposed to right now, when they can only be traded on their own due to the league's salary cap circumvention-preventing rules.
Nurse benching Covington in favor of Martin and Morris is puzzling, to be sure, but I think it is a genuine basketball decision. While the four former Clippers are indeed eligible to be aggregated in a trade in just a handful of days, I would be surprised if the Sixers made a trade for at least another three or four weeks, if not longer. Action in the NBA trade market tends to only heat up in the final days before the trade deadline.
From @zteutsch: With his recent hot streak, does Morris have any meaningful trade value beyond an expiring $17 million?
Unfortunately, probably not. Morris' recent stretch of decent play has been helpful for the Sixers, but with his massive salary it is hard to imagine him being dealt as anything more than salary filler. Even if there are teams that view Morris as a potentially-helpful piece of their rotation — which is conceivable — that team would also need to be able to justify sending out near the same amount of money as they are taking in. I don't see a team out there that needs stationary shooting at the power forward position so badly that they will pay upwards of $17 million to add it.
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