The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most confusing teams in the NBA. Even though talented players like Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Al Horford and Josh Richardson led the way, the Sixers were only in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings before the 2019 season was suspended- March 20.
Most experts believe the Sixers will trade Simmons or Embiid this offseason if the team does not enter a deep playoff run at Walt Disney World during “bubble” games. However, it would be a colossal mistake to exchange the two All-Stars since they are both still very young and have years of being superstar players left in the NBA.
Rather than parting with Simmons or Embiid, Sixers general manager Elton Brand should seek to acquire more talent around his two pillars of the franchise, particularly players who can throw the ball from deep and space the floor. .
With that said, let’s take a look at the three players Brand can try to change every time the 2020 offseason period begins.
1. Kyle Lowry
Because he is from Philadelphia, Kyle Lowry has always been linked to the Sixers. This summer happens to be the perfect opportunity for the 76ers to bring the All-Star point guard home, as the Toronto Raptors are likely to lock Fred VanVleet in a long-term deal and Lowry has one year remaining on his contract.
Before games were suspended in March, Lowry was averaging 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists for the Raptors in 52 games. Pairing him on the backcourt with Simmons would make the Sixers far more deadly on offense since they would have two elite players organizing the offense.
Additionally, Lowry is a 36.6 percent career shooter beyond the arc. When Embiid doubles down on the post or Simmons is knocking the paint off his records into the basket, Lowry will be sitting there on the 3-point line.
2. CJ McCollum
Adding CJ McCollum to the Sixers would clearly make Philly even more deadly on offense. However, it remains to be seen if the Portland Trail Blazers are interested in moving him, although things could change if the Blazers miss the 2020 playoffs once the “bubble” games begin.
Philly had an interest in acquiring McCollum in January. He is one of the best scorers in the league, as McCollum has career averages of 18.4 points per game and accumulated 22.5 points in 2019-20 before Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID-19 test.
The Sixers ranked 19th in the NBA in triples with 742 before the season was suspended. It is too low a number for a team with three explosive scorers like Embiid, Simmons and Harris. McCollum would certainly assist Philly in his 3-point shot.
3. Bradley Beal
With no shooters to shoot, Embiid can’t dominate the Sixers’ paint as he’s doubling the team with every turn and there’s no room for him to operate. It also doesn’t help that Simmons still doesn’t look like a jump shot.
The Sixers clearly missed JJ Redick, who joined the New Orleans Pelicans last summer. Philadelphia has to leave Horford this offseason as there is no ground floor space on the court when Embiid, Simmons and Horford are playing together.
Bradley Beal will be the center of multiple trade rumors this summer, as he is one of the best players in the NBA and the Washington Wizards are not expected to surprise the world and reach the 2020 playoffs once the games begin. ” bubble”. The Sixers should see what it would take to get Beal.
Brand should offer the house, which means everyone on the list is available for Beal EXCEPT for Embiid and Simmons.
