Four Sixers Questions Ahead Of Training Camp
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As we prepare for the start of Sixers training camp, here are four questions on the state of the team and how their plans could have changed after the Damian Lillard trade to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Can the Sixers get in on the Jrue Holiday sweepstakes?
The one lingering question in the aftermath of the Lillard trade is where Jrue Holiday will ultimately end up, as Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Blazers are looking to immediately begin trade talks for Holiday in hopes of acquiring young players or draft picks that can help them in the future.
Kyle Neubeck has already reported that the Sixers are likely to have interest in Holiday, which makes lots of sense given the uncertainty around Harden.
The problem with any Holiday trade is that the Sixers lack the assets to acquire him, and thus would likely have to make it a 3-team deal in which they reroute some of what they would have gotten for Harden – so, acquiring Holiday is likely dependent upon finding a deal for Harden, which is bad news because coordinating a 3-team deal between the Sixers, Blazers, and Clippers gets quite complicated.
The best 3-teamer I could come up with looks like this:
Sixers get: Jrue Holiday, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, Marcus Morris, Clippers 2028 pick swap
Clippers get: James Harden, Danuel House
Blazers get: Tobias Harris, Jaden Springer, Kobe Brown, Clippers 2029 first
In most iterations of a Harden to the Clippers trade, Norman Powell would likely be coming back to Philadelphia. However, Powell’s inclusion in this type of deal gets complicated because A) it’s unclear how the Sixers would find a role for Powell in a backcourt that also has Holiday, Maxey, and De’Anthony Melton (not to mention Patrick Beverley and Kelly Oubre), and B) Given his value, including Powell in the deal means the Clippers are less willing to include future draft capital that the Sixers could re-route to the Blazers. So, I settled on the Clippers essentially acquiring Harden for salary, Kobe Brown, a pick swap, and a future first round pick.
Of course, there remains the possibility that the Sixers could acquire Holiday in a two team deal in which they give up something in the ballpark of Tobias Harris, Jaden Springer, a 2029 first round pick, and a 2028 pick swap, but that then leaves the Harden situation unresolved, and leaves the Sixers with a massive logjam in their backcourt and huge holes in their frontcourt. The reality is that any scenario in which the Sixers acquire Holiday can only make sense if a satisfactory Harden trade is found, as well.
This is pure speculation, but a Holiday deal feels like a long shot. I would imagine that lots of teams with more assets than the Sixers would have interest, and they will eventually end up getting outbid.
How do the Sixers match up with the top of the Eastern Conference?
Now that Lillard is a Milwaukee Buck, the Sixers’ chances of making it out of the East just dwindled even further. Lillard is the exact type of half-court centerpiece that Milwaukee has lacked in the playoffs, and he’s also a terrible matchup for the Sixers – his ability to pull from 30 feet out in the pick and roll forces Joel Embiid to play the types of coverages where he does not excel, and where his rim protection ability is wasted.
This offseason, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Boston have all gotten better; it’s extremely difficult for me to imagine a scenario where the Sixers have a better regular season record than any of those teams. We can’t speculate on how the Sixers would match up with those teams until a Harden trade happens, but it just feels like the Sixers are taking a step back while the other teams at the top of the East are taking a step forward.
The lone saving grace is that Miami comes out of the offseason as a big loser; not only did they miss out on Lillard, but the fact that he went to Miami likely forestalls any intentions they had of going after Giannis Antetokounmpo for at least another couple of years. So, while the rest of the East has gotten better, the Sixers and Heat are likely primed for a step back.
What is the starting lineup?
If James Harden decides to actually play basketball, I remain of the mindset that the opening night starting lineup will be the same as last year’s. The substitution patterns will be a bit different – Melton will absorb more of Tucker’s minutes, and Paul Reed will see more time at the four – but overall, this feels, unfortunately, like the exact same team that the Sixers had last season.
If Melton proves to have taken a leap, and Tucker looks to have lost another step, then swapping Melton into the starting lineup makes sense. It’s hard to envision that lineup being viable for a full season given its size deficiencies, but sure, why not give it a shot. Writing about this, and being forced to think about another go-around with this exact same roster, I am struck by another wave of nihilism. It’s all so bleak and meaningless. Please trade James Harden.
What will we learn about Joel Embiid’s mentality heading into the season?
If there’s one thing that I’m legitimately curious about heading into media day and training camp, it’s hearing what Joel Embiid has to say after an offseason of chaos.
Does he feel any differently about Game 7 after having a summer to reflect on it, or will we hear more of his unbothered tone that he took in the immediate aftermath? Will he give any hot takes about the Harden situation? Will he hint at a trade request?
Strangely, I feel like we will learn a lot from Embiid’s media day session. I want to see how he responds to a summer of criticism and mockery even from his own fans. I want to see if he will do any sort of public backing of Harden, and if it crosses into any sort of criticism of Daryl Morey. I’m curious if he will express any sort of renewed long term commitment to the Sixers after his half-hinting at a trade request from earlier this summer.
All things considered, this is shaping up to be the juiciest media day the Sixers have had since, well, two years ago when they were in almost the exact same situation. Truly exciting and inspiring stuff.