Philadelphia 76ers: Potential blockbuster trades ahead of 2017 NBA Draft
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
With the future of several big-name players under a cloud leading up to the 2017 NBA Draft, the time is right for the Philadelphia 76ers to make some inquiries.
Although the NBA is still in the thick of the playoffs, that doesn't mean the noise surrounding next season has dissipated in the slightest.
This season has seen several high-profile players rumored to be keen for greener pastures elsewhere.
Considering the current state of the Philadelphia 76ers, the time is right for the president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo to vault this team to the next level.
First of all, presuming all players return to full health, the Sixers' roster is loaded with upside. Center Joel Embiid exhibited in just 31 games last season that he could potentially become one of the most dominant players in the league. Having missed his first two seasons with recurring foot issues, Embiid's impact was astounding.
Despite being placed on a minutes restriction, Embiid's progress in such a short space of time was amazing. Over his last 12 games prior to being ruled out for the season, Embiid averaged 23.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in just 27.1 minutes per game. Furthermore, he shot 82 percent from the free-throw line on 10.7 attempts per game, and was a +81 while on the court.
On a per-36 minutes basis, Embiid would've ranked third in the league in scoring, and first in both free throw attempts and blocks during this stretch.
Another standout was rookie Dario Saric, who markedly improved as the season progressed. By season's end, Saric had averaged 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, which included averaging 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds over his last 30 games of the season.
In addition, last year's No. 1 overall Ben Simmons has yet to debut, while former No. 3 overall pick, Jahlil Okafor, is still just 21 years of age.
And if this isn't enough, the Sixers now hold the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft following the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery.
Despite the obvious talent at the Sixers' disposal, not all the players on the roster necessarily fit the needs of the franchise moving forward. Okafor has become somewhat superfluous since Embiid's introduction, while Saric doesn't necessarily match Brown's mantra of "defence, pace and space."
Therefore, with some legitimate trading chips at their disposal, it would be negligent of Colangelo and the front office not to explore some possible deals.
Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Kristaps Porzingis, New York Knicks
Kristaps Porzingis' name entered headlines recently when he decided to skip the Knicks' exit interviews at the conclusion of yet another disastrous season. This was reported as being due to the "drama and dysfunction" surrounding the organisation. As a result of this, it was also reported that several teams reached out to the Knicks in the days following his non-appearance to discuss potential trades for Porzingis.
If the Sixers weren't one of these teams, they should be. At 7-foot-3, Porzingis fits the criteria of a modern-day stretch-4, or stretch-5 if needed. He can hit the three-ball, put the floor on the ball, cross over his opponent and finish strong inside. And he has only scratched the surface of his seemingly limitless potential.
This season, Porzingis averaged 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game. However, playing alongside All-Star forward, Carmelo Anthony, Porzingis' role in the offense was often underutilized. In terms of frontcourt touches per game, Anthony averaged 50.3 to Porzingis' 38.4, while also being superior in field goal attempts per game, 18.8 to 14.9 per game.
And then there is the issue of the triangle offense, which was implemented more and more as the regular season went on — despite the protestations of the Knicks players. This, of course, is due to the significant influence of Knicks president Phil Jackson. Porzingis stated the following during the season when describing trying to incorporate the triangle offense:
"It's very random."
And further, to quote legendary Knicks beat writer Frank Isola from a recent piece:
"….he's (Porzingis) just as confused as any of his teammates as to why (Phil) Jackson is taking on a more hands-on approach with the team."
One of Porzingis' best performances came early in the season in a win over the Detroit Pistons. Playing 40 minutes, Porzingis scored a career-high 35 points, along with seven rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. Furthermore, he was a +15 while on the floor.
The highlights of this performance can be seen here:
This now leads us to the Sixers.
Considering their combination of young talent and future picks, the Sixers are in a great position to make a run at Porzingis. The aforementioned column penned by Isola was titled "Kristaps Porzingis' hacking scandal further muddles relationship with Phil Jackson, Knicks." This is in reference to a curious tweet Porzingis posted recently, which simply said "LA Clippers," accompanied by three smiling emojis.
And although Porzingis claims his account was hacked, as the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire. Therefore, the Sixers will need to thoroughly think about an attractive package to propose to the Knicks.
A trade proposal consisting of the following should certainly be considered:
This would provide Phil Jackson and the Knicks a strong nucleus to build around. Dario Saric is at the forefront of Rookie of the Year contenders, while Jahlil Okafor is just two years removed from being selected with third overall pick of the draft. With the Knicks earning the No. 8 overall draft pick in this week's lottery, two top-eight picks in a loaded draft represents a great rebuilding tool.
Furthermore, Robert Covington has established himself as one of the elite wing defenders, and hence a substantial upgrade on Anthony at that end of the floor. From the Sixers' perspective, Covington comes out of contract at the end of 2017-18 and is likely to command a hefty extension. Such a trade would avoid that scenario coming to a head.
Plus, if the Knicks were able to find a suitable trade suitor for Carmelo Anthony this summer, it'd represent a completely fresh start for Jackson and the franchise.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
Another big-name player whose future has been clouded recently is Paul George. Having recently completed his sixth season with the Pacers, George has the option to opt out of his contract at the end of the 2017-18 season. And with the Pacers completing their second consecutive first round exit, George's future has been the subject of much debate.
Due to his Southern California roots, the Los Angeles Lakers have been heavily linked to George if he chose to pursue his options. While the lure of home is always a strong factor in any player's decision, the success of the prospective suitor also comes under strong deliberation. As a selling point, the Lakers' success in recent seasons is clearly not in their favor.
76ers
Hoops Habit 20h2017 NBA Draft Lottery: Results and 1st round order
More headlines around FanSided:
1 d - 2017 NBA Draft Lottery: Should the Philadelphia 76ers Trade Back?1 d - Washington Wizards: Should Wizards Fans be Excited for Next Season?1 d - TSS 2017 NBA Draft Lottery Big Board1 d - Luka Doncic Gives Philadelphia 76ers Reason For Lakers Pick in 20181 d - Philadelphia 76ers: Backup point guard options for Ben SimmonsMore News at The Sixer Sense
Over the past four seasons, the Lakers have compiled a 91-237 record. Furthermore, their front office has only recently undergone a significant facelift, appointing Magic Johnson as the president of basketball operations, and long-time player agent, Rob Pelinka, as their new general manager. And that's not to mention the off-court controversies in recent times regarding the ownership of the team.
The Sixers, on the other hand, offer a much more settled environment. Coach Brown has now completed four seasons in charge. Bryan Colangelo, while he has only been with the team just over 12 months, has a proven track record, being a two-time Executive of the Year award winner. Furthermore, the ownership group, headed by Joshua Harris, has been in charge of the Sixers since 2011.
Having just turned 27 and with the prime years of his career still ahead of him, George would provide an amazing flip for a young Sixers roster. Already in his career, George has competed twice in the Eastern Conference Finals, and has already made four trips to the All-Star game. (It would've been five appearances had he not missed the entire 2014-15 season due to a horrific leg injury).
A trade proposal could consist of a very similar cast of players as the Porzingis scenario.
Indiana receives:
Squandering two starting frontcourt players, and a high-end lottery pick, means George will certainly have his work cut out for him. One of the challenges facing the Pacers, particularly this season, was trying to convince George on the merits of playing as the modern-day stretch-4.
At 6-foot-9 and possessing a multitude of offensive moves, George would seem to be the prototype for this role. But as Gregg Doyel of the Indy Star noted during the midst of this season in a revealing column:
He's not merely a potential power forward — he's the prototype in today's smaller, sleeker NBA that demands a combination of size, skill and speed from that slot. Paul George has all three.
But he won't play the four.
George refused to do it last season, complicating Larry Bird's offseason remake of what had been one of the league's bigger, slower lineups. And (Nate) McMillan indicated before Thursday's game that George has declined to do it this season even now, with the Pacers missing two power forwards. This is what McMillan told me when I asked him Thursday: Any thought, on an emergency basis, of putting Paul at the four?
"We've tried that, but Paul is …" McMillan said, then paused, unsure how to finish that sentence. Paul is … what?
McMillan tried again.
"Um, we've tried that some — but no," he said. "I wish it was that easy, and it really should be, but it's not."
It really should be that easy? Man, that's as close as you've ever heard any of George's bosses — McMillan, Bird, former coach Frank Vogel — say what's on everyone's mind:
Paul George is putting himself ahead of the team.
George says otherwise, of course. When I asked him Thursday night if he'd play the four, he said he would. Maybe.
"It might get to that point of trying to stretch the floor," he said, "trying to speed us up, try to bring something different, something new to this team."
Those are George's words about playing power forward. These are McMillan's: "That's something he doesn't want to do."
These are very strong words, and something that would clearly need to be taken into account if contemplating such a move.
But one thing that is for certain – George more than meets Brown's mantra of "defense, pace and space." In fact, he is tailor-made for the system in which Brown wants to continue to develop and excel with.
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
Like George, Butler had no shortage of rumours surrounding his name this season. Despite enjoying a career year while averaging 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game, Butler still faces an uncertain future.
During a midseason episode of The Lowe Post podcast on ESPN hosted by Zach Lowe, ESPN's Bulls beat reporter, Nick Friedell, gave some insights into the situation.
"There is a split in the Bulls' front office as to whether they want to build around Jimmy or not… I've never been more convinced that if they got the right pieces, let's say it's not Boston but it's another team, if they got the right pieces back, I think they'd move Jimmy today. I think they realize that this team just isn't good enough."
The Bulls compiled a 41-41 record for the season, followed by a first-round playoff exit against the Boston Celtics. For his part, Butler commented briefly recently on his future:
"I don't know what the future holds for anybody. So I'll sit back and wait on that time to come."
This season Butler made his second All-Star appearance, his first as a starter. Over the course of the year, Butler had 11 games in which he scored at least 35 points, which included five performances of at least 40 points. His standout game was a 52-point explosion during a home victory against the Charlotte Hornets.
The most notable stat from this game was converting on 21-of-22 attempts from the free-throw line. For the season, Butler ranked fourth in the league with 8.9 attempts per game. As a team, the Sixers ranked 25th in the league at 22.0 attempts per game. This is just one area in which Butler can improve the output of the Sixers.
As one of the premier two-way perimeter players in the game, Butler offers elite skills few others can. The Sixers' incumbent small forward, Robert Covington, is now rated as an elite wing defender by coach Brown. However, over his three seasons in Philadelphia, Covington has yet to break the 40 percent shooting barrier from the field.
Furthermore, not only is Butler's field goal percentage (45.5) far superior to Covington's, his ability to get off his own shot is just one of the factors behind him being such a valued commodity. While Covington had 78.8 percent of his made field goals assisted, just 40.9 percent of Butler's attempts were assisted.
At 27, Butler's best years are still ahead of him. In terms of the Sixers formulating a trade offer, a carbon copy of the proposed George deal would be great place to start, though another future first-rounder might have to be thrown in.
With the Bulls facing an uncertain future, this type of package provides the ideal impetus for a fresh rebuild.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Decision time
Landing a high-end draft pick doesn't always guarantee success. Just ask Colangelo, who held the No.1 overall pick in 2006 when he was in charge of the Toronto Raptors. In choosing the soon-to-be underachiever Andrea Bargnani, Colangelo squandered the chance to select players of the caliber of LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay.
Despite this being recognized as an incredibly strong draft, there are never any guarantees. Another example is Anthony Bennett, the No.1 overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. Bennett has already been with four teams in four seasons, and finished this season out of the league.
More from Hoops Habit
Therefore, if the Sixers have a legitimate chance to chase one of the trio of players detailed here, they should go all out. More specifically, Porzingis. Still just 21 and with two years experience playing in a very hostile environment in New York, Porzingis fits the bill on a number of levels.
As a prototypical stretch big in the modern game, Porzingis playing alongside Embiid would be a virtual unicorn pairing. Both are young, 7-foot-3 and have the ability to not only put the ball on the floor, but can shoot the ball from anywhere.
The chance to field a Sixers team with Embiid, Porzingis and Simmons on the floor together would simply be revolutionary. Three teammates featuring their combination of skill, athleticism and sheer size would almost be unparalleled.
Although the players departing are very productive in their own right, this represents a risk that Colangelo and the front office would be crazy to not take up.
So if the noise surrounding Porzingis continues to emanate from the Big Apple and the Knicks actually consider a trade (which would be foolish), the Sixers certainly have the assets to at least commence some serious discussions.
