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The Philadelphia 76ers had the chance to make a major move earlier this season when James Harden was on the table and they were among the favorites to land him. Most reports, in fact, had them as favorites, but that didn’t happen, possibly because Houston owner Tilman Fertitta refused to do business with former Rockets general manager Daryl. Morey, who now runs the store in Philly.
Either way, the Sixers have retained Ben Simmons, who is probably having the best season of his career. Alongside MVP favorite Joel Embiid, the Sixers have two of the best defensemen in the league and, perhaps with one more addition, a legitimate title.
At this point, Morey, who has long been one of the most aggressive GMs in the NBA, is looking to make “major moves” before the trade deadline, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
The Sixers, meanwhile, could make their own acquisition. League sources say Philadelphia, which failed in its bid for Harden, is still looking for major action to increase its championship chances. The trading market has yet to take shape in the coming weeks, so realistic goals are not clear. But one name to watch is Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry, a 34-year-old Philadelphia native in the final season of his contract. A veteran perimeter shooter creator is the one piece the Sixers really lack, and there aren’t many other Lowry-level players who are even theoretically available.
Lowry would obviously be an incredible addition for the Sixers, who, like O’Connor, still don’t have a reliable shot creator around the perimeter. Simmons can’t shoot. Danny Green is not some kind of designer. Seth Curry is not a principal. Tobias Harris is a jack of all trades but a master of nothing.
Problem is, the Raptors are coming in lately and could see themselves as one step away from arguing for another trip to the Finals. They’ve won seven of their last 10 games and only sit four games behind Philly, and Kyle Lowry is still awesome. He ranks 9th in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus and, alongside Fred VanVleet, remains the cornerstone of a Toronto organization that doesn’t like rebuilding.
Outside of Lowry, a few names to watch out for are Lonzo Ball, Evan Fournier, and George Hill. JJ Redick isn’t a creator, but Philly only makes 10.3 3 points per game, which ranks 28th in the league. It’s very difficult to win the playoffs while losing the 3-point battle, and although Redick has started rocky this season, he’s shooting just under 49% on 3.5 3 points per night in 11 games in February.
As O’Connor pointed out, the trade market remains hazy with the March 25 deadline extended into a month, but we know a thousand phone calls are happening as we speak and Morey is on the line. a lot. He wasn’t at work in Philadelphia for more than a week before trading for Danny Green, and two weeks before trading for Seth Curry, responding to Philly’s complete lack of shooting in the blink of an eye. They could still use more of them, besides a point guard, and if there’s someone filling one or both of those holes, Morey won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
The Sixers have been at the top of the Eastern Conference most of the season, but have slipped a bit lately, losing four of their last six as the Brooklyn Nets retired within a half a game of first place, entering Tuesday. .
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