Sixers trade tiers: Ranking possible trade pieces by the most value
For the Philadelphia 76ers, the best way to improve this offseason is either through their own internal improvement or through the trade market. They only have the $6.4 million taxpayer mid-level exception to use in free agency, but they could open the $10.3 million mid-level exception if they waive Danny Green.
With that being said, it’s time to look up and down the roster and see who the Sixers can offer in a trade in order to improve the roster around Joel Embiid and James Harden going forward. It is assumed Harden will be back in some, shape or form whether it’s on the $47 million player option or he opts out of it and he and the Sixers work out a different deal.
With that said, Sixers Wire is going to rank some of Philadelphia’s best trade pieces and place them into tiers.
Untouchable tier: Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey
Embiid is under contract through the 2025-26 season before he has a player option for the 2026-27 season. Along with being one of the top five players in the game, the Sixers have him under contract and there is very little chance he is even mentioned in any trades — despite his insistence the Sixers could trade him at any moment.
As for Maxey, he is still on his rookie contract. After a terrific second season, during which he took a big leap forward, it seems he will be in Philadelphia for a long time. Even if Washington’s Bradley Beal becomes available, the Sixers should consider Maxey untouchable in a deal.
Wait and see tier: James Harden
As mentioned, Harden will be back in the 2022-23 season in some capacity, but let’s play hypotheticals here. Let’s say Harden picks up the player option as expected, leaving him on a one-year deal with Philadelphia. Do Daryl Morey and the Sixers explore a potential trade at the deadline if he doesn’t perform the way they would like him to? Just something to think about as these events begin to play out.
Splashy trade pieces: Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle
Harris just finished the third season of his five-year $180 million deal, and he played pretty well after the deadline once he got settled next to Harden in the offense. He is still a big trade piece due to his contract and the fact that he is essentially the No. 4 option on offense due to the emergence of Maxey on the offensive end. Harris’ defense in the playoffs should be a big selling point to teams as well.
As for Thybulle, it’s not like the Sixers will look to dump him. They still value him, but he isn’t untouchable as he was in the Harden trade negotiations during the season. He can still be a good piece for a playoff team, but at this point, it would have to come down to him being some sort of threat on the offensive end of the floor.
Sneaky value tier: Furkan Korkmaz
One can look at Korkmaz and believe he has zero trade value. However, he has two years left on a contract that will pay him $5 million in 2022-23 and $5.3 million in 2023-24. That is a team-friendly deal that can be thrown into any deal that might get Harris off the books, for example.
"Good when healthy" tier: Shake Milton
The biggest thing with Milton is always his health. When he is right, he is an easy double-digit scorer off the bench, and he can be valuable to any team. However, he has issues staying on the floor. That makes him a trade candidate if there is a team that would look into him off their bench.
The young bucks tier: Isaiah Joe, Paul Reed, others
The Sixers are unlikely to make a trade involving Reed, but considering coach Doc Rivers’ love for veterans, there is a small chance Reed gets moved. It will really depend on what Morey and Rivers discuss throughout the summer in terms of what to do with the backup center position.
As for Joe, his contract is not guaranteed for the 2022-23 season and he is a candidate to be moved after an underwhelming second year in the league. Joe, Reed and Charles Bassey all have non-guaranteed deals for the 2022-23 season.
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