Sixers trade ideas not involving No. 3 pick, from finding Joel Embiid a new backup to adding a Villanova product

Is there any better way to kick off a weekend than with fake trades?

In lieu of any actual news surrounding the Sixers, who continue to ramp up their decision-making process with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, here are some recent trade machine creations I have come up with:

Paying up for an elite backup center

During my trade machine journeys — they happen far too often this time of year — I often search for teams around the league with an obvious logjam in some area of its rotation and figure out if any of the players they could look to move might be a sensible fit with the Sixers. With Cooper Flagg set to join P.J. Washington, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in a crowded frontcourt rotation — with all but Davis set for new contracts very soon — it stands to reason that Gafford or Washington could be available for the right price.

Washington is a better fit with much higher upside for the Sixers, but he would also come at a much more significant price. Gafford, meanwhile, would be a high-end backup center behind Joel Embiid who is genuinely capable of filling in as a starter when Embiid goes down. Could Dallas have interest in adding a wing with some scoring punch to its depleted perimeter rotation while also restocking at the five?

This is the framework I ended up settling on:

For Dallas, the sell is bolstering a wing rotation in need of reinforcements and, rather than having to pay or lose Gafford next year, being able to develop Bona — a player in the archetypal mold the Mavericks have liked in the past — on an inexpensive four-year contract. Drummond is just here to make the salaries match, but perhaps Dallas views him as a viable option.

Gafford is likely a better overall player than Oubre, but would it be a worthwhile endeavor for the Sixers to make this deal and sacrifice some of their wing depth when there is a chance Bona turns into a strong backup down the line? With Gafford set for a new deal in short order, is there any guarantee he would not leave for a full-time starting role unless the Sixers made a blatant overpay?

Bona is a very real, tantalizing prospect, and Oubre is a quality rotation wing. But the biggest red flag for the Sixers here would probably be Gafford's contractual status and the understandable expectation that the soon-to-be 27-year-old could pursue other opportunities.

MORE: Negotiating trades down from No. 3 with other NBA writers

Adding a reliable rotation wing

The Pistons could open up some cap space to play with this summer as they look to find ways to retain Malik Beasley, but fellow veterans Dennis Schröder and Tim Hardaway Jr. also being candidates to return could complicate things. Detroit will enter free agency with four open roster spots barring any trades — also assuming they make their only draft pick at No. 37 overall and sign that player to a standard deal. If Beasley and Hardaway are back, they would have little room in their wing rotation for Simone Fontecchio, whose role steadily declined during the regular season before the 29-year-old was removed from the rotation in the playoffs.Even for a team with a clean cap sheet, splitting up the $8.3 million owed to Fontecchio in the final year of his contract among three roster spots could make things a lot easier for Detroit. I recently wrote about the Sixers' potential ability to cobble together smaller salaries around Drummond and work their way up to a rotation-caliber player. Is this one of those opportunities?

Drummond returning to Detroit to be the Pistons' third-string center would be a heartwarming reunion; Drummond was very supportive of the team in its playoff run on social media last month. Council and Walker are decent enough bets on near-minimum salaries, particularly because Council's salary will not be guaranteed until January of 2026. And, as an added bonus, the Pistons get back full access to their 2028 second-rounder.Meanwhile, the Sixers would be parlaying three players not slated to be parts of their rotation into one with a chance of sticking, even in a limited bench role. Fontecchio is nothing but solid. He just had a down year from beyond the arc, but is a career 36.3 percent three-point shooter on major volume (9.9 attempts per 100 possession). He has a strong frame on the wing and can easily be slotted into a supporting cast role — plus, that expiring $8.3 million salary could help facilitate another trade during the season if things are going well for the Sixers.

MORE: Sixers-specific scouting reports of top prospects in 2025 NBA Draft

Bringing a Villanova Wildcat back to Philadelphia

The Sixers and Wizards were trade partners in February, making a deal swapping Reggie Jackson and a first-round pick with Jared Butler and four second-round picks. The deal was a win for the Sixers, who shedded Jackson's salary while upgrading to Butler and turning what will almost certainly be one of the last picks of the first round in 2026 into four second-round picks with genuine chances of being picks in the 30s.

Perhaps the teams can strike another deal. I came up with this concept, which includes Washington getting back the one pick they sent the Sixers in the winter which actually belonged to them, and the Sixers shedding Drummond's salary while betting on a young player coming off an ACL injury:

The Wizards signed Bey, 26, to a three-year, $19 million contract before last season, knowing he would miss the entire year after tearing his ACL late in the prior season. It was a below-market deal relative to Bey's age and production, and with no intentions of short-term wins, Washington wisely bought low. If Bey's medicals look clean over a year removed from the injury, he will be considered a trade asset.

Bey is a flawed player, but there is no denying his skill. He is one of the higher-volume three-point shooters in the entire NBA, with an impressive 10.2 long-range tries per 100 possessions over the course of his career. He is a sturdy, strong wing who can rebound. With two years and about $12.5 million left on his contract, perhaps the Sixers can make a relatively low-risk move on Bey at the cost of Council, a distant second-rounder and a very minor move down the board in the second round.

Speaking of Council, the Wizards having genuine belief that he at least remains somewhat of an NBA prospect after his brutal sophomore campaign would do a whole lot to get this deal across the finish line. Otherwise, they would likely be able to do better than this deal.

MORE: Identifying Sixers' strong options at No. 35 based on recent drafting history

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