We are officially two weeks away from the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline, and the Sixers could very well end up being full-blown sellers by the time we get to that point. It is very much apparent to everyone that this iteration of the team is not going to suddenly snap its fingers and figure things out, but Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey does have the capacity to make moves which help the team reload ahead of next season.
Here are three trade frameworks on my mind right now, from the Sixers being the fourth team in a massive trade to a traditional move to recoup assets to a more unconventional swap of draft picks. These are merely the fruits of my imagination:
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Getting involved in a Jimmy Butler blockbuster
All of the buzz is that the Phoenix Suns are eventually going to get a deal done for Butler. It will still be a challenge, as the Suns will need to find a team that is willing to take on the remaining contract of Bradley Beal and convince Beal to waive his no-trade clause to let the trade go through. Phoenix seems like the clear leader in the clubhouse on Butler for now, but with the annual rumblings that LeBron James is unhappy with his team's roster underway, could the Lakers push some of their chips in and hope that Butler, James and Anthony Davis are capable of making a run?
If so, there is a pathway to the Sixers dumping a pair of veterans to help the Lakers regain some depth and replacing them with younger players. Walk with me:
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Jimmy Butler, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon
Miami Heat receive: Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, Lakers' 2025, 2027 and 2030 second-round picks
Toronto Raptors receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Reggie Jackson
Sixers receive: Davion Mitchell, Jalen Hood-Schifino
We'll break this down for each of the other teams, starting with the Sixers. Morey and co. would be escaping the possibility of Drummond and Gordon picking up player options for next season worth a combined $8.5 million and adding two young players to their mix. Mitchell, an absolute hound on the defensive end still in search of offensive consistency, would have a two-month trial run as the Sixers' backup point guard before becoming a restricted free agent over the summer. If he impresses in an extended audition, he is the exact type of bulldog that Philadelphia fans would embrace.
Fun fact: Over the last 5 games, Raptors are holding opponents to 95.5 points per 100 possessions in 158 MIN with Davion Mitchell on court.
They’re allowing 128.5 points per 100 with him OFF court.
Opponents are shooting 38.7 FG% with him on & 49.1% with him off in the last 5. pic.twitter.com/Q4HNwsPawm— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) November 24, 2024
Hood-Schifino, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, had his third-year team option declined before the start of this season, an ominous sign for his prospects which effectively ended his chances of becoming a part of the Lakers' future. He is more of a lottery ticket than a known commodity like Mitchell.
Meanwhile, Toronto would be taking a chance on Vanderbilt in a buy-low proposition. Vanderbilt, who appears to be days away from making his season debut, has always struggled to stay on the floor. When he has been available, though, he has been terrific. Vanderbilt is a strong, sturdy wing with tremendous athleticism and defensive versatility. He can guard across the positional spectrum and would be well worth his four-year, $48 million contract if he is able to stay healthy. The Raptors have the capacity to take a risk on someone in his salary range, so why not do it on someone who fits the exact archetype they have always liked?
This would be strong return for Miami in a Butler deal, as they would net a very good starter on one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NBA in the form of Reaves, who could become a significant part of their future. Whether Reaves and Tyler Herro can be a viable defensive backcourt is up for debate, but the Heat would have time to figure that out. They would also add a productive young player in Hachimura, experience some financial relief and replenish their pool of second-rounders in years they previously did not have any.
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Sixers get their second-round pick back
Trading Guerschon Yabusele would be another real bummer in a season full of them, but it might be the most prudent choice for the Sixers at this point — not just because re-signing the 29-year-old could be a challenge after the excellent season he has had, but because the Sixers' best offer to Yabusele will actually not change if he finishes the season with another team.
There should be no shortage of teams interested in acquiring Yabusele, but one stands out due to recent news:
Dallas Mavericks receive: Guerschon Yabusele
Sixers receive: Markieff Morris, more favorable of Philadelphia and Denver's 2025 second-round picks
The Mavericks just lost stellar second-year center Dereck Lively II for at least a month — and likely multiple months — due to an ankle fracture. Luckily, they have veteran Daniel Gafford able to step back into the starting lineup, but have still taken a major hit to their center rotation. While adding someone like Drummond would give them a player who checks (and does not check) similar boxes as Lively, Yabusele might be the far more sensible option: not only can he help fill Lively's vacant minutes, but assuming Lively returns to action before the end of the season, Yabusele can still be part of Dallas' rotation at the four. If the Mavericks took Drummond on, there would be no room for him once Lively was back on the floor.
Dallas only has one tradable second-round pick, but it happens to make some sense in this sort of deal. They own the most favorable of the Sixers and Nuggets' second-rounders in the upcoming draft, which barring a miracle of epic proportions will be the Sixers' pick. This would give the Sixers a decent pick next June, regardless of whether or not their first-round pick conveys to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have to take back Morris, a Philadelphia native, to ensure Dallas stays under their hard cap at the first apron.
Some picks get swapped
If the Sixers do not add a 2025 second-round pick in a trade like the one above, I could see them pursuing a deal entirely comprised of second-rounders like this one:
Brooklyn Nets receive: Milwaukee's 2027 second-round pick, Philadelphia's 2028 and 2031 second-round picks
Sixers receive: Brooklyn's 2025 second-round pick
The Sixers have a surplus of future second-round picks as things stand now, but do not own any picks in the back half of the 2025 NBA Draft. The Nets could be open to moving their second-round pick if a team pays 120 cents on the dollar for it, as they are already slated to have four first-rounders in June. A pick somewhere in the No. 32-37 range would have far more value to the Sixers than it would for a Brooklyn team which will pick in the top half of the lottery and have the opportunity to do so three more times in the 20s.
I believe Brooklyn would be amenable to this sort of deal, netting two second-round picks. 2027 is the only year in which they do not currently own a second-round pick; here they add one with slight upside from Milwaukee that the Sixers traded for last year in the Patrick Beverley-Cam Payne swap. Then they get a pair of future second-rounders with extremely high upside, as the long-term future of the Sixers is quite murky.
Would the Sixers be willing to commit to a slight overpay in order to ensure they can have a somewhat valuable draft pick in June? It will likely depend on how much they like that region of the draft class right now.
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