How This Trade Impacts Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are going to do all that they can to maximize the season that they are having. That should be the only goal the front office has going into the NBA trade deadline; improve the roster, as they see fit, to maximize the chance ahead of them.

Daryl Morey and ownership will regret it if they don’t go all-in and essentially waste a season of Embiid’s prime. He is playing at an MVP level and they cannot let their stubbornness when it comes to the asking price in Ben Simmons negotiations deter them from their ultimate goal of winning a championship.

In this hypothetical trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, the 76ers land CJ McCollum, but this isn’t as much of an upgrade as it would seem. Both players are signed through 2024, so they aren’t getting any salary relief moving on from Harris, which is what they were seeking when his name popped up in rumors.

McCollum is an excellent offensive player and could help with some playmaking duties offensively, but Tyrese Maxey has been breaking out recently. Earlier in the season, before Maxey emerged, McCollum made sense as a target. But now, he is a questionable fit unless the team moves on from Danny Green or Seth Curry.

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Adding another player to clog up the backcourt while diminishing the frontcourt doesn’t seem like a good idea, as they would have a big hole at the power forward spot with Harris departing. McCollum can make up for Harris’ scoring punch, but they would be losing a ton of size and a key piece of their frontcourt in this deal.

Harris could very well be on the move, but Philadelphia would need to be getting back a player capable of filling his spot in the starting five. Swapping Harris out for McCollum would drastically worsen the defense while the offensive production would remain relatively the same.