Around this time of the year as teams get set for what is expected to be a rapid-fire offseason, there are always a bunch of wild trade suggestions out there to try and improve a team. In the case of the Philadelphia 76ers, this happens a lot.
The Sixers are a talented team led by the star duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and they are both not even in the prime of their careers yet. Despite their obvious success, there are some out there that try and break up the duo due to spacing issues that the team is dealing with.
In order to fix that, Bleacher Report has suggested a trade that involves the Los Angeles Clippers, the team that Doc Rivers coached for seven seasons. The deal they propose is Embiid and Josh Richardson for Paul George and Ivica Zubac.
B/R on the deal:
Getting Embiid (23.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 blocks per game) to co-star with Leonard would give the Clippers one of the best centers in the NBA, and the three-time All-Star is four years younger than George and can’t become a free agent until 2023. Richardson could take over George’s starting spot on the wing, as well.
For Philly, George would fit far better alongside Ben Simmons than Embiid ever has. A starting lineup of Simmons, Shake Milton, George, Tobias Harris and Al Horford/Zubac would be one of the best in the East and run more smoothly on offense.
Sure, George is a guy who can put the ball in the basket from all over the floor. He can slash to the basket and finish and he can also shoot it with ease from deep while also being a good defender. However, he does have a tendency of becoming invisible in big games and he and Rivers already have had their time together.
The Simmons and Embiid duo can win in this league. It just takes the right pieces around them to get the job done and allow them to operate. This current group can win if Al Horford can thrive in a bench role in the future and if Rivers can help the young stars take the next step. It can be done, but the work has to be done by the players on this roster plus Rivers to make it happen. [lawrence-related id=38269,38264,38251]