Standing at 15-27 — a season-worst 12 games below .500 — the Sixers are inching closer to being forced into sell mode in advance of the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline. Their current seven-game losing streak is the latest disastrous turn in the year from hell, so bad that even with multiple months remaining on the schedule, the team is going to seriously consider pivoting to a focus on 2025-26.
The Sixers have a veteran-laden roster full of players who should theoretically be of interest to contending teams. There are five Sixers who may be the most likely to generate trade calls from those buyers, but their markets — both in terms of salary and draft compensation — will vary quite a bit.
So, about those markets: what might the Sixers be able to fetch in return for some of their veteran pieces? Which teams could have the most interest in those players? Let's discuss:
Kelly Oubre Jr.
Salary: $7,983,000 (has a player option for 2025-26 season worth $8,382,150)
Oubre is likely the most valuable player the Sixers could theoretically trade to a team looking for upgrades, but doing so would come with the most serious ramifications: not only might Oubre be the best player on this list, but he is also the one who it would be the easiest for the team to re-sign over the summer after he likely declines his $8.3 million player option for next season. The Sixers will have Early Bird Rights on Oubre. Before ink had dried on the deal he signed last summer to return to Philadelphia, I wrote about the team's ability to pay him after the 2024-25 season should his play warrant it:
"The team will have Early Bird rights on Oubre heading into free agency next season should he opt out, meaning they can pay him up to 175 percent of his 2024-25 salary. That means a potential offer for Oubre next summer could start at $13,970,250, with annual raises of five percent. The absolute most the Sixers could offer him in terms of years and dollars is four years and around $60 million."
This is not to say Oubre will end up getting that exact contract, but to illustrate that the Sixers should not just trade Oubre for whatever they can get because he will likely become a free agent once again after the season. There is a clear path to bringing him back next season, when he will probably have more value for the Sixers than he will for a few months on another team's bench.
Kelly Oubre Jr. has recorded multiple steals in four of the Sixers' last five games. All of his steals during that stretch: pic.twitter.com/H1epFVpuwq
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) December 19, 2024
In any case, Oubre is a valuable two-way wing who certain teams should value, and there is no reason for the Sixers not to listen. A few teams which come to mind as possible fits:
• The Eastern Conference-best Cleveland Cavaliers, who could use more stability on the wing and have some financial flexibility this season.
• If they eventually find a Jimmy Butler trade and want to add a wing as they pursue a playoff spot, the Miami Heat might make sense. What the Heat could give the Sixers for Oubre would depend on the exact terms of their Butler deal.
• The Sacramento Kings' rotation could definitely use another reliable wing, and it could really use a quality perimeter defender. Oubre fits both bills, and the Kings have the financial capacity to bring him in.
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Andre Drummond
Salary: $5,000,000 (has a player option for 2025-26 season worth $5,000,000)
Drummond was supposed to finally stabilize the Sixers' backup center position behind Embiid again, but in addition to Embiid being unavailable for much of the season, Drummond's production just has not been there. As things stand now, Drummond picking up his $5 million option for 2025-26 feels like a safer bet than returning to free agency after a down year before he enters his age-32 season.
Drummond's salary is not gargantuan, nor is it wildly unreasonable. It is not hard to envision teams with shortages at the five having interest in a player who they know what they are getting from (for better or worse). Meanwhile, he does make enough money that the Sixers could wonder if there is a more efficient path to finding quality backup center minutes elsewhere on the market in the summer.
The Sixers get the ball moving, beginning with an Andre Drummond pass to the corner on a short roll. It ends up in the hands of Caleb Martin, who attacks an overzealous closeout and drops the ball off to Drummond inside. Drummond draws a shooting foul under the basket: pic.twitter.com/ydMZ6d9d7I
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 3, 2025
Some teams who could use fortification at center and could find themselves in the market for Drummond:
• The Indiana Pacers traded a protected second-round pick to acquire Thomas Bryant after their second- and third-string centers, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, each suffered a torn achilles tendon. If they want a more formidable upgrade, the Pacers could see if Drummond is attainable.
• Sacramento also has a bit of a hole at backup center, making Drummond a potential fit there, too. A more reliable rim protector might be ideal based on their current personnel, though.
• Could there be yet another player to go back and forth between the Sixers and Los Angeles Clippers? The Clippers are fighting for a playoff spot, but former Sixer Mo Bamba has failed to nail down their backup center spot. One ironic aspect of the Sixers-Nets trade a few years ago which sent Drummond to Brooklyn as part of the package that netted the Sixers James Harden: Drummond's ability to screen and roll would have made him a nice fit alongside Harden. Now, Harden is with the Clippers. Could Drummond join him?
Eric Gordon
Salary: $3,303,771 (has a player option for 2025-26 season worth $3,468,960)
Believe it or not, Gordon's player option for next season worth a hair under $3.5 million could be a significant roadblock for any trade. Otherwise, it would be a no-brainer for a team in need of some three-point shooting and floor spacing to take a low-risk gamble on one of the most accomplished long-range snipers in recent league history.
But Gordon, 36, has demonstrated that he currently tops out as a situational rotation piece rather than someone who can relied on for minutes on a nightly basis. Gordon has not been powered by significant athleticism for quite a few years now, but it seems like he no longer clears a fairly basic threshold for being capable of playing every night in the NBA.
Eric Gordon keeps on getting blocked: pic.twitter.com/r6ucU3XvnA
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) October 26, 2024
These issues should only accelerate in 2025-26, and the risk of Gordon picking up that option could leave some terms with a burning hole in their cap sheet. In today's restrictive salary cap environment, that is a more ominous proposition than it used to be, even at a relatively small number.
This likely rules out teams with significant payrolls or franchise-altering financial decisions on the way from getting in the Gordon business. There are some teams which could use him and justify the light financial risk, though:
• The Detroit Pistons likely would not have a defined role in place for Gordon — especially as Malik Beasley continues to shoot the lights out — but they have the financial wiggle room to take in Gordon fairly easily and their roster does not have a ton of skilled three-point shooters.
• Gordon found the best version of himself as a three-point shooter during his time with the Houston Rockets, who may have concerns about the veteran fitting into their terrific defense. But they have enough versatile defenders to help Gordon there, and they are in the bottom five of all NBA teams in both three-point percentage and three-pointers made per game. Houston has an open roster spot.
Kyle Lowry
Salary: $2,087,519
This one is a bit tricky, because Lowry has veto power over any trade. If the Sixers were to trade the soon-to-be 39-year-old floor general, not only would they have to find a team which believes he can help them win despite the significant limitations which have prevented him from doing so for the Sixers, but Lowry would also have to sign off on the deal.
Kyle Lowry has only attempted six two-point shots in 2024-25 (159 minutes). His assist rates are continuing to reach drastic lows.
Lowry's explosion has continued to decline, rendering him incapable of creating off-the-dribble advantages: pic.twitter.com/sBooZ15Rgm— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) November 7, 2024
A few ideas if Lowry wants to end what could be the final season of his stellar NBA career with a playoff contender:
• They would need to make some sort of corresponding move to stay under the second apron, but the New York Knicks certainly love Villanova players. Lowry could serve as a platoon partner with former Sixers spark plug Cam Payne, remain relatively close to home and have a chance to win.
• The Milwaukee Bucks should always be open to any avenue to increase depth in a cost-effective manner, and if Lowry believes he can help the Bucks win a championship, maybe it's a match.
• If they can clear a roster spot, the Los Angeles Lakers could have interest in Lowry, whose lack of on-ball juice would be mollified playing alongside LeBron James. Living in Los Angeles for a few months would certainly be neat for Lowry, but are the Lakers good enough to warrant him not using his veto power to block a deal so he can play for a team with more realistic championship aspirations?
Guerschon Yabusele
Salary: $2,087,519
The two genuine bright spots in this hellish Sixers season have been Jared McCain and Yabusele. With McCain out for the remainder of the season due to a torn meniscus, the idea of Yabusele being dealt is like a death blow for many fans — understandably so. But the reality now is that such a deal might be prudent, as a floor-spacing big with some sneaky scoring chops on drives and in the post, who can log real minutes at the four or five who is on a veteran's minimum contract will have plenty off value to other teams.
As has become well-documented, the Sixers will have limited resources to retain Yabusele this summer — in fact, Sixers' best offer to Yabusele when he becomes a free agent after the season would remain the same even if they trade him, as it would be the entirety of the taxpayer's mid-level exception, worth a maximum of two years and a projected $11.6 million.
Guerschon Yabusele is thrown the ball in the corner with five seconds left on the shot clock. He immediately forces his way downhill, creating a massive amount of separation with a bump of Jonathan Kuminga before stepping through and laying the ball up: pic.twitter.com/zlKsyP0Fma
— Adam Aaronson's clips (@SixersAdamClips) January 3, 2025
Plenty of contending teams should have real interest in Yabusele. Some of the obvious ones:
• Yabusele starred on Dec. 23 as he helped the Sixers overcome Olympic teammate Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs could look to reunite the two Frenchmen, and would have an easier time retaining Yabusele over the summer if the partnership is a winner.
• The Golden State Warriors are trying to revive their chances of winning with a team built around Stephen Curry, and are known to be seeking a stretch five. Yabusele fits that bill, and also has the requisite skill as a passer and screener to thrive in Steve Kerr's offense.
• Do not get upset with me for suggesting this, but the Boston Celtics drafted Yabusele back in 2016 and will be scouring the market for an inexpensive player who can fit into the back end of their rotation. The Celtics do have a few valuable second-round picks on their hands, including that of the Washington Wizards in the upcoming draft — likely slated to land at No. 31 overall. That would be a solid return for Yabusele.
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