Mock trade has Sixers sending Joel Embiid to Spurs in a 4-team deal

[ad_1]

The Philadelphia 76ers are done for the 2022-23 season as their playoff run ended in familiar fashion: in Round 2.

The Sixers have fallen in the Eastern Conference semifinals in three straight seasons and for five of the previous six seasons now. It seems like maybe they have hit their ceiling on how far this group can possibly go.

That remains up for debate, but considering the way the season ended, now is the time to analyze the fake trades. Bleacher Report has a wild one cooked up as they have the Sixers sending Joel Embiid to the San Antonio Spurs in a big 4-team deal:

The fake trade proposal

San Antonio Spurs receive: Joel Embiid (wild, I know), Bradley Beal and a 2025 second-round pick from the Houston Rockets

Philadelphia 76ers receive: No. 1 pick in 2023 (Wembanyama, of course), Keldon Johnson and Doug McDermott (largely salary filler), Jalen Green, a 2025 first-round pick from the Rockets (via Oklahoma City or Boston) and a 2026 second-round pick from the Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards receive: Tobias Harris, Devonte’ Graham, Zach Collins, Daishen Nix and a 2025 first-round pick from the San Antonio Spurs

Houston Rockets receive: James Harden, Khem Birch and Johnny Davis

B/R on why the Sixers do this deal

Of course, this deal presupposes Harden picking up his player option as part of the trade. And there’s no reason to expect Maxey wouldn’t take a leap in the event of Harden leaving. Over the last two postseasons, he’s averaged 20.7 points.

But what if that leap came alongside 19-year-old Wembanyama instead of the 29-year-old Embiid?

Giving up the reigning MVP seems absurd, but Wembanyama (again, potentially one of the greatest prospects in the history of the sport), 22-year Maxey, 23-year old Keldon Johnson and 21-year-old Jalen Green would make for a heck of a core for a reboot.

And unloading James Harden and Tobias Harris as part of this deal would give the Sixers exceptionally clean books with a lot more cap flexibility going forward.

Keldon Johnson is the biggest deal coming back to Philadelphia, and he has a declining salary that will end up at $17.5 million in 2026-27. Harden and Harris…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mock-trade-sixers-sending-joel-190325386.html?src=rss

Author : Sixers Wire

Publish date : 2023-05-20 19:03:25

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.