Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, but that ban will be lifted in March of 2020. He is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
In last week’s Normal Column, I took a look at just about every possible trade target the Sixers could have from $5 million and up. And now, it’s time to cover the much deeper field of inexpensive targets.
As you’ll see, these are not all players who I would target. But they’re all possibilities to varying extents, and it’s better to be safe than sorry. So after the first few tiers, these players will mostly be assorted into tiers simply based on similarity.
Buckle up, because if you thought last week’s piece was long, you’re in for a treat this time around.
Tier 1: The best and most realistic options
Alec Burks
Remaining contract: one year, minimum salary
It feels like it’s been an eternity of us all asking why the Sixers haven’t just traded a second-round pick for Burks yet. Because that is all it’s going to take, in all likelihood. Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported that if the Sixers were to offer either of the Atlanta and New York 2019 second-rounders they have, you could “start writing up the paperwork now.” I’m not sure I’d give one of those picks up just yet, but this is a sign that he is easily gettable for a Sixers team rich with future second-rounders. And because Burks is on a minimum contract, the Sixers wouldn’t even need to send a player back to Golden State if they didn’t want to (as of now, they would have to clear a roster spot somehow, though).
Burks has been a constant subject of discussion in the Sixers universe, so I won’t go too deep into his game. But on a team desperate for half-court shot creation, his presence would be welcomed. We often think of a bench spark plug as someone who just gets buckets. But Burks is not a shot-maker as much as he is a scorer. He’s averaging 7.6 free throw attempts per 100 possessions -- more than any Sixers regular not named Joel Embiid -- and shooting 89.8 percent from the line. Drawn fouls don’t get much love these days, but they are an essential part of half-court offense.
Malik Beasley
Remaining contract: one year, $2.7 million (restricted free agent after this season)
Someone I brought up on a recent Ricky episode, Beasley is a high-level shooter, with some playmaking potentially somewhere in there to untap. He is about to hit restricted free agency after turning down an offer in the range of three years and $30 million, so the Sixers would need to have confidence in their ability to retain him without hampering their future financial flexibility. The Nuggets loved Zhaire Smith as a draft prospect in 2018: could they be open to taking Smith and one of the prized second-rounders as the framework of a Beasley deal? I’d make that trade if I were the Sixers, and it isn’t hard to picture a Stan Kroenke-run team making a trade that would help ensure they stay out of the luxury tax.
Markieff Morris
Remaining contract: one year, $3.2 million (has $3.6 million player option for next year)
Morris is an ideal target, specifically if the Sixers move on from Mike Scott in a deal for one of the players highlighted last week. Morris has been about average if not a bit better from beyond the arc during his career, though he’s shot unexpectedly well this season. And he’s not some sort of stopper, but at 6’8” and 245 pounds, he holds up defensively. As someone who could eat up minutes and serve many of the traditional role player functions, he makes a lot of sense. ESPN’s Zach Lowe is indicating that a second-round pick in exchange for Morris seems realistic. That’s a price I’d be willing to pay.
Glenn Robinson III
Remaining contract: one year, $1.8 million
Another Warriors free agent signing on the trade block, Sixers legend GRIII could add some scoring but is not the assertive ball-handler that Burks is. His value would mostly come from spot-up shooting and attacking closeouts, not dissimilar from the role Furkan Korkmaz is currently filling. Robinson III has had a career-best shooting season, knocking down 39.5 percent of his three-point attempts while shooting 3.5 times per game. He would not add another dimension to this roster the way someone like Burks might, but he would add skills that this team could still use.
Reggie Bullock
Remaining contract: two years, $8 million (only $1 million guaranteed next season)
A long-time hypothetical Sixer, it seems like Bullock could actually be an option. Yes, he could be called a unitasker, not bringing much to the table other than his three-point shooting. But he’s of the mold that could really help this offense, potentially even more than someone like Korkmaz. Bullock is not just a great spot-up shooter, he’s also someone who can be used as an off-movement threat, running around screens and perhaps even allowing the Sixers to dust off the elbow DHOs they used to run with Embiid and JJ Redick.
Shabazz Napier
Remaining contract: one year, $1.8 million
The Timberwolves are clearly in sell mode, which makes it easy enough to assume that Napier, acquired in a salary dump of sorts over the summer, is attainable. It’s unclear what the price would be, but I don’t see why a second-round pick and Jonah Bolden wouldn’t get the job done for a Wolves team in asset collection mode. And that’s a move I’d make pretty easily. Napier would be able to stabilize the backup point guard carousel while adding a scoring punch as well.
Tier 2: Long shots
Derrick White
Remaining contract: two years, $5.5 million (restricted free agent after next season)
White will not be the only Spur on this list, and I will never believe they are going to make a midseason trade until they do it. But their roster screams shake-up, especially at guard, where they may need to consolidate eventually. White, a stout defender and improving offensive player, could be the perfect type of “sixth starter” I harped on the Sixers needing last week. This may cost a lot -- perhaps Zhaire and a first-round pick -- but given White’s fit, contract and youth, it would be a worthy gamble in my eyes.
Luke Kennard
Remaining contract: two years, $9 million (restricted free agent after next season)
Something seems fishy here. The Pistons, a team in no man’s land, reportedly shopping Kennard -- a young player with two years left on his rookie contract -- should make no sense, right? Kennard seems like an ideal fit here: he can handle the ball, he can shoot, and he can pass. To top it off, he has room for improvement and is on a cost-controlled contract. But then why the hell is Detroit trying to trade him? I’d make a good offer for Kennard because he has demonstrated the abilities that this team could use, but I’m not offering anything near the full boat for him.
Josh Hart
Remaining contract: two years, $5.4 million (restricted free agent after next season)
Hart, who the Sixers passed for Anzejs Pasecniks (sorry to bring that up), is probably not available unless the Pelicans are even more willing to make moves than it already appears. I was a bit of a skeptic during his time with the Lakers, but have been impressed by his performance in New Orleans. He doesn’t have a single standout skill, but can impact the game in a lot of different ways. If the Sixers can get a cheap, young role player with the kind of flexibility that Hart has without trading a giant haul of assets, they should give it their best shot. On a top-heavy team like this, finding cheap contributors is imperative.
Bryn Forbes
Remaining contract: one year, $2.8 million (restricted free agent after this season)
Forbes is in the long shots group for the same reason as White, but could also potentially be attainable if the Spurs want to shake things up. While far from the ball-handler White is, Forbes can handle it a bit and is truly a shot-maker.
Torrey Craig
Remaining contract: one year, $2.1 million (restricted free agent after this season)
Craig has become a valued member of Denver’s rotation, and is unlikely to move because, well, they want to win. But again, the Nuggets do need to shed some future salary if they want to stay out of the tax, and Craig is due for at least a medium-sized payday as a reliable and versatile defensive wing. I would stay away unless the price is notably lower than expected, as Craig’s shooting issues make him a questionable fit in Philly.
Tier 3: “Second Draft” targets
Frank Ntilikina
Remaining contract: two years, $11 million (restricted free agent after next season)
If you aren’t familiar with the term “Second Draft,” it means taking a chance on a guy who has not met expectations on his rookie contract. That certainly applies to Ntilikina, who has at times seemed like a good fit in Philadelphia because of his defensive prowess on the perimeter and switchability. In last week’s piece, I justified a Robert Covington trade by saying that even though he doesn’t fill a need, he is good enough that it doesn’t matter. Well, Ntilikina doesn’t fill a need, either, but he also isn’t good enough. Like the player, don’t like the fit.
Allonzo Trier
Remaining contract: one year, $3.5 million (restricted free agent after this season)
Allonzo Trier is a bad NBA player. He is routinely cooked on defense, and is a ball-stopping hog. And yet… I kind of like his fit here? It’s not often that a unitasker’s single positive skill is individual scoring, as that’s a tough thing to master, but it’s what Trier’s NBA life will be. If someone else scoops up Burks, I don’t think taking a shot on Trier is crazy. Having someone (literally anyone!) who can create shots in the half-court would make things so much easier for this team.
Denzel Valentine
Remaining contract: one year, $3.3 million (restricted free agent after this season)
Valentine, on the cusp of falling out of Chicago’s rotation, fits an archetype the Sixers should be interested in: a wing who can handle and shoot. Valentine is not an initiator of offense like Ben Simmons, but can be a secondary ball-handler. The real plus with him is three-point shooting. Valentine has had an up-and-down career, but the one thing that has remained consistent is his ability to knock down threes at high volume. I know the Sixers aren’t focused on upgrading the Korkmaz spot in the rotation, and they don’t need to be, but Valentine could bring similar spot-up shooting to the table along with ball-handling skills.
Tier 4: Former Sixers!
Dario Saric
Remaining contract: one year, $3.4 million (restricted free agent after this season)
Yeah, it’s unlikely, but how fun would this be?! Dario would be a rental, as it just doesn’t make sense to pay him given his positional invariability. But let’s say the Sixers move Scott for another piece, why not see if you can bring Dario back while his value is at its lowest? Are we sure that something like Bolden, one of the Burke / Neto pair and a decent second-rounder isn’t enough? Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part, but Dario doesn’t seem like a real part of Phoenix’s long-term plans right now. I don’t think something like this is impossible.
Christian Wood
Remaining contract: one year, minimum salary
One of the surprises of the season has been Wood edging out Joe Johnson for Detroit’s final roster spot, running with it and actually becoming a good rotation player. Wood’s per-minute numbers are monstrous, including knocking down 37.8 percent of his three-point tries. Detroit will likely try to use a salary cap exception to retain him this summer, but as they enter sell mode, teams will call about Wood. He’d be able to log minutes at the four and five for this team if needed. He probably isn’t worth to the Sixers, who obviously already have two centers, what he is to the Pistons, but it’s worth a call, because he has been damn good.
Jordan McRae
Remaining contract: one year, minimum salary
McRae has found a home in Washington, taking shots for a team decimated by injuries. McRae wouldn’t be a great addition, but he can score, and that means something on this Sixers team.
Tier 5: End of the bench depth pieces
As you can tell, I’m grasping for straws at this point. So here is a handful of names who could fill a back-end of the roster spot and be a marginal upgrade:
Yogi Ferrell
Remaining contract: one year, $3.1 million
A consistent backup point guard throughout most of his career who can initiate offense and shoot off the dribble. He may be too frail to defend in the playoffs, but would help energize second unit lineups as a decent upgrade over the Neto / Burke tandem.
Isaiah Thomas
Remaining contract: one year, minimum salary
A similar idea here -- Thomas could add more off-the-dribble scoring and creation than Ferrell. But Ferrell is probably unplayable in the playoffs, and Thomas is definitely unplayable in the playoffs.
Vince Carter
Remaining contract: one year, minimum salary
If Carter tells the Hawks he wants to end his final season on a contender, they will almost certainly adhere to his wish. He’s not going to give you much at this stage of his career, but even at 43 years old, he probably is more useful on this roster than someone like Bolden.
Luke Kornet
Remaining contract: two years, $4.5 million
Kornet, a player I advocated for the Sixers to look into trading for last year, could be an upgrade over the O’Quinn roster spot. His threes have fallen at a disappointing rate this season, but he is a good shooter who can enhance spacing.
Noah Vonleh
Remaining contract: one year, $2 million
If the Sixers do look to upgrade from the O’Quinn spot, this is the guy I’d target. Vonleh is small for a center, but has proven over the last few years that he can hold up defensively there. Plus, he would be an interesting option for some backup four minutes if Scott is dealt or continues to struggle. Remember how weirdly good Richaun Holmes + Joel Embiid lineups were a few years ago? I think there is a chance there is something to that success, and Vonleh is someone who the Sixers could use to explore the viability of pairing Embiid with a mobile big.
Treveon Graham
Remaining contract: one year, minimum salary
A switchable wing who can help make life easier defensively, but is close to a zero offensively.
Cheick Diallo
Remaining contract: two years, minimum salary (team option for next season)
Diallo has had a nice year in Phoenix as he attempts to solidify his standing as an NBA player. However, he’s stuck behind Deandre Ayton and Aron Baynes in a log-jam. Diallo should be available, and would be an upgrade over O’Quinn.
Shaquille Harrison
Remaining contract: one year, $898,310
Harrison has a no-trade clause, but would likely welcome the move from a bad Bulls team with a stacked guard rotation to a contending Sixers team that may be able to use him. Harrison is a freak athlete who is able to wreak havoc defensively and could be had for cheap.
What I would do:
Alright! Now that I have finished dragging you through almost 50 names, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least say what my plan would be. So, in bullet-point form, here are the deals I would do:
Mike Scott and the top-20 protected 2020 Oklahoma City first-rounder (will likely become their 2022 and 2023 second-rounders) for Nemanja Bjelica
Trey Burke, Shake Milton, Jonah Bolden and the 2020 Atlanta second-rounder for DJ Augustin
2020 Dallas second-rounder, 2021 Denver second-rounder for Alec Burks
Convert Norvel Pelle’s contract to an NBA deal
That leaves the roster looking like this: Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Joel Embiid, DJ Augustin, Raul Neto, Alec Burks, Matisse Thybulle, Furkan Korkmaz, James Ennis III, Zhaire Smith, Nemanja Bjelica, Norvel Pelle, Kyle O’Quinn.
Happy trading, everybody.