The Philadelphia 76ers are still working through their awkward roster as they get set to move on to the next era in their franchise. Doc Rivers is coming in to try and steer the franchise back in the right direction towards a championship.
Another new addition to the franchise is Daryl Morey who will run the team’s basketball operations department. Morey is a guy who is not afraid to pull the trigger on a big move in order to help his team win. While with the Houston Rockets, he did a lot of wheeling and dealing in order to make the Rockets championship contenders.
Now that he in Philadelphia, the team has some obvious needs that he can tackle. One of those needs would be a guy who can handle the ball as well as shoot it from deep and be a leader down the stretch.
A new trade suggestion coming from Bleacher Report has the Sixers acquiring a player who fits that mold in Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The deal is Ben Simmons and Al Horford going to the Thunder for Paul, Dennis Schroder, the number 25 pick in the 2020 draft, and a future 2021 first-round pick.
B/R on the deal:
It’s a near-nuclear option, of course, but surely the Sixers have at least considered it given the perpetual questions about the Simmons-Embiid fit. If Philly doesn’t envision its stars forming a championship picture together, then this would become a route worth exploring.
Paul is the dynamic half-court creator this offense needs to get out of the mud. Schroder is kind of fire-starting spark the bench unit has lacked. The two first-round picks present Philadelphia with paths to cheap contributors or tools for another trade. This is a championship-or-bust-level all-in push, but wasn’t head coach Doc Rivers a championship-or-bust hire?
Paul would solve a lot of issues for Philadelphia. They need a guy who can handle the ball and run the offense as well as shoot the ball well from deep and he is a guy who can also take over down the stretch which is something they sorely missed with the departure of Jimmy Butler.
As always, any trade involving Simmons or Joel Embiid at this point in time is unlikely. Rivers will definitely want to take a crack at these two young stars and see what he can do with them. They have the talent to lead Philadelphia to a title, but they need the right pieces around them. [lawrence-related id=38747,38744,38731]