As the Philadelphia 76ers head into the offseason, there are some issues on the roster that need to be addressed and need to be fixed. They have a strong pairing in Joel Embiid and James Harden to lead the way, but the Sixers need just a bit more in order to truly contend in the East.
One route Philadelphia could go is moving Tobias Harris. Considering that Harris is scheduled to make somewhere around $38 million in the 2022-23 season, it might be in Philadelphia’s best interest to move him for either a better fit or a cheaper option.
One of those cheaper options is John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks. The athletic forward has reportedly grown a bit frustrated with his role on the Hawks and maybe a change of scenery would be good for him.
A mock trade performed by Bleacher Report has the Sixers sending Harris and Matisse Thybulle to the Hawks for Collins:
Here, Philly would transform Harris’ bloated salary into John Collins’ more manageable $23.5 million at the not insignificant (but not egregious) cost of Matisse Thybulle’s pesky perimeter defense. More would have to be added to the exchange to pass the salary-matching requirements, but this would be the trade’s foundation.
While a Collins-vs.-Harris debate might come down to the eye of the beholder, the fact Philly could get similar production from the 4 spot at a fraction of the cost might be too good to pass up.
Harris had himself a very good playoff run as he averaged 16.9 points, shot 36.8% from deep, and played elite defense against the likes of Pascal Siakam in Round 1 and then bothered Jimmy Butler in Round 2, but that contract is still an eyesore.
With Embiid and Harden around as well as the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, Harris is now relegated to the No. 4 option on the offensive end of the floor. Harris deserves a ton of credit for adjusting to this new role and he played well with Harden, but at the end of the day, the Sixers need to add something new and Collins might be that option.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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