The trade deadline has come and gone, and the Philadelphia 76ers made their move by bringing in Buddy Hield and Cam Payne. The two are expected to provide a number of good things for Philadelphia such as shooting and playmaking.
However, the Sixers were looking to add to their backup big man depth with Joel Embiid sidelined until March at the earliest. Paul Reed and Mo Bamba have done a serviceable job filling in for Embiid, but a guy such as Chicago Bulls big man Andre Drummond, for example, would have been a great pickup.
However, it appears the asking price was too high. Per HoopHype’s Michael Scotto, the Bulls were asking for a great deal in return for Drummond:
The 76ers believed they had a trade done to acquire Bulls center Andre Drummond before Chicago pulled out of talks hours before the deadline, league sources told HoopsHype. The Bulls wanted three second-round picks for Drummond, league sources said. For context, the Nets acquired three second-round picks in the three-team Royce O’Neale trade.
It is surprising the Bulls asked for that much. Drummond has been very good for Chicago, averaging 8.1 points and 8.6 rebounds coming off the bench, but he will be a free agent in the offseason. There isn’t any real reason the Bulls asked for that much in exchange.
It’s also smart of Daryl Morey to not give up that much for Drummond. The Sixers can continue to lean on Reed and Bamba until Embiid is ready to return.
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