Today is Tuesday, which means the time has come for a Sixers mailbag. The Sixers are 15-26 and losers of their last six games, though, which means the tenor of your questions were going to be much more grim than usual. Those questions came from my followers over at Bluesky. Give me a follow there if you have not done so already.
Let's talk about the next steps for a team in the midst of an all-time disastrous season:
From @keithrpg.bsky.social: Who will be traded before the deadline assuming they lose their next five games?
If the Sixers ultimately pivot in the direction of being sellers at the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline — which seems likely given the team's poor record, hellish schedule in the weeks ahead and Joel Embiid's left knee swelling causing a significant delay in his return to action.
But the Sixers must keep the 2025-26 season in mind, as they will surely be hoping to reload for next year in hopes of reviving their championship contention window. That could make it difficult to justify moving Kelly Oubre Jr. or Caleb Martin for reasons that we will get to shortly. Oubre could opt out of the second year of his contract and enter free agency once again this summer, but the Sixers would have the financial capacity to keep one of their critical wing role players in the fold. Martin is still in just the first season of a four-year deal.
There are plenty of teams looking for depth at the five, and that could make Andre Drummond an option for some buyers. Drummond is making only $5 million this season, but also has a player option for next season worth the same salary. Given the difficult season Drummond has had as a 31-year-old, he very well may pick up that option. If a team still views him as an elite backup center despite his poor production this season, the Sixers should be very open to making a deal.
It has become well-documented that the Sixers will be limited in what they can offer Guerschon Yabusele in free agency this summer, and that has led many to believe the team will shop the 29-year-old who has starred in every role this season. Yabusele has been a massive bright spot, but the Sixers' best realistic offer to him as a free agent — two years and roughly $11.6 million, the entirety of the taxpayer's mid-level exception — is unchanged if he finishes the season elsewhere, though it would undoubtedly make it tougher to bring him back.
On a veteran's minimum salary and as a player who can reasonably log minutes at two different positions, Yabusele will likely have the most trade value of any pieces the Sixers could choose to shop aggressively.
Otherwise, a few very good weeks have put Eric Gordon back on the trade candidacy radar despite his brutal start to the season and a player option in his contract for next season worth around $3.5 million. Every team will be able to sell itself on adding one of the most decorated three-point shooters in NBA history, particularly ones with star-laden rosters.
MORE: Can Justin Edwards be a building block?
From @kellenpastore.bsky.social: If the Sixers decide to sell on Oubre or Caleb Martin, what is a plausible return, and how would they replace them next year?
It is hard to imagine the Sixers getting a first-round pick for Oubre with the likelihood of his impending free agency. Maybe if the Sixers receive interest in the swingman from one of the very few elite teams in the NBA, they could fetch one of the final picks of the first round. A premium second-round pick leading the return for Oubre feels like the most likely scenario, unless a team is willing to part ways with an interesting young player.
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
Gauging Martin's market is nearly impossible. Players are rarely traded in the first season of a four-year contract, and while Martin is a proven commodity on a deal which came in far below the kind of money he was expected to receive, he has also had a disappointing season derailed by many injuries. For those reasons alone, it is extremely difficult to imagine a world in which a team tries to swing a deal for Martin.
At the same time, the answer to the second question helps illustrate why trading Oubre or Martin would be risky. The Sixers' clearest path to solidifying contending-caliber depth alongside their All-Star trio of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George is not blowing things up and starting over, but keeping Martin on his long-term, cost-effective deal, using the pathway to get a similar deal done with Oubre and hope to find more gems on minimum contracts like Yabusele.
Without Martin and Oubre in the fold, it will be a challenge to maintain any medium-sized contracts on the Sixers' books next season and beyond.
MORE: Martin's hellish injury bug lives on, more thoughts on Sixers' depth
From @70sixers.bsky.social: If they do decide to tank for the rest of the season, how do you think Maxey and Rich Paul react to that plan? Feels like they've asked Maxey to be patient enough.
Certainly, nothing about this season has been thrilling for neither Maxey nor his teammates, and you are right: Maxey gave the Sixers his all last season despite the prospect of some sort of catastrophic injury costing him a chance to sign a contract worth more than $200 million lingering over him. The Sixers went above and beyond to express their appreciation for Maxey's patience and commitment to the franchise, crediting it for the team's ability to sign George to a four-year, $212 million max contract over the summer.
It goes without saying that the Sixers did not ask Maxey to jump through the hoops that he did in order to build a team which would end up bottoming out by the trade deadline. But the Sixers must look around, and a scan of the circumstances will likely lead them to the conclusion that this is a lost season.
Maxey and his representation at Klutch Sports will not love the news, but Paul has been around for a very long time with clients in all sorts of situations. He is a smart guy, and surely understands that the Sixers would never go out of their way to punt the remainder of a season with Embiid on the wrong side of 30 years old.
What the Sixers — from President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey to owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer — must do when they have those discussions with Maxey and Paul is outline a clear plan to make sure this cataclysmic season never happens again.
MORE: Sixers must be responsible with Maxey's minutes
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