BRUSTAL TRADE: The Sixers key players who stand for the situation of trade deadline 2024 NBA offseason.
The Sixers’ current situation in relation to the 2024 NBA trade deadline
When Joel Embiid scored 70 points, a club best, and the Sixers were having an unusually positive game, do you recall? About two and a half weeks ago, that happened.
Since then, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Embiid sustained a lateral meniscus injury that necessitated surgery on Tuesday and will probably keep him out of action for the next six to eight weeks. Prior to their home game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, the Sixers had lost six of their previous seven games and were in free fall without him.
The Sixers’ plans were probably thrown off by Embiid’s injury prior to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. They may no longer feel as pressured to give it their best during a historic Embiid season as they once did if they don’t know when or if he will return this year. Alternatively, they could be
Fortunately, insiders are beginning to provide us with some specific hints to how Daryl Morey and company plan to meet the deadline on Thursday.
Joel Embiid’s impact on their deadline position
In the aftermath of Embiid’s injury, some fans might be prepared to write this season off. But as of right now, it doesn’t seem like the Sixers are thinking that way.
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The Sixers “are very much weighing the possibility” that Embiid returns this season and will continue to be buyers at the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who made this claim on Tuesday’s episode of NBA Today. The Sixers, according to Charania, are “active so far” and are looking to acquire a wing or another scorer.
Charania did point out that Embiid’s return will depend on the Sixers’ rankings by mid-to late-March, as well as how well his rehabilitation goes in the upcoming weeks. It might not make as much sense to rush Embiid back if they’ve dropped out of the play-in race or into it altogether than if the Sixers win home-court advantage in at least the opening round of the playoffs.
The Sixers are “exploring conversations with a variety of teams,” according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, but he also revealed that they have “left rival teams with the impression they are still wary of taking back long-term salary at this juncture.” This offseason, the Sixers might generate about $55 million in cap space, and they seem to be functioning
Greatest requirements
The Sixers’ most obvious need following Embiid’s injury is a stopgap big man. With no depth behind them, they can’t rely on Paul Reed and Mo Bamba to maintain the center position in his place. The Sixers would occasionally be forced to start Marcus Morris and/or Tobias Harris as small-ball fives if one of them missed a game, much less both of them.
The Sixers should consider Andre Drummond, Mike Muscala, and Kelly Olynyk as potential targets. They might be more willing to pay for a replacement who could play with Embiid when he returns, but they shouldn’t give up a first-round choice for a stopgap. They would get something that they haven’t had in recent years with a dependable floor-spacing big. (Consider it as their extremely underprivileged rendition of Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis.)
In general, they also require greater three-point shooting. With 31.4 three-point attempts per game, they are ranked 26th in the league; with just 11.4 made, they are ranked 27th. Over their last six games, that has decreased to 28.5 attempts per game, and they have only hit 9.7 a game (33.9 percent).