This NBA season has been a roller coaster ride thus far for the Philadelphia 76ers. They have already experienced plenty of lows, as injuries have limited their Big 3 of Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey to only six games and 135 minutes played together. Despite that, the team is still finding a good amount of success.
Tobias Harris has been excellent stepping up and excelling in any role that Doc Rivers asks of him. He is averaging 17 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game as the glue guy on the team.
He has come up in some trade rumors this season, but it would be hard to imagine the 76ers parting ways with him given how important he is to the rotation. It is highly unlikely that Philadelphia would be able to get back a player that is a better fit schematically and personality-wise for this team than Harris.
But, don’t expect the 76ers to be shut out of the trade market altogether. They will certainly look to upgrade the rotation if possible, but their No. 1 goal for the remainder of the season could very well be monetary.
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James Harden took a pay cut in the offseason to enable Daryl Morey to upgrade the roster without sacrificing a player such as Harris. It should be no surprise that the team has begun getting on track now that he is back in the lineup. But, there is still a little more work to do, especially if the team wants to get under the luxury tax line according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
“For instance, the Philadelphia 76ers are just over the luxury tax and could net about $16 million if they sent $3 million with Jaden Springer or Shake Milton in a salary dump. It’s enough of a windfall for Philadelphia; someone on the team may be sacrificed.”
That is a lot of money to be saved. Shake Milton has received some minutes given all of the injuries, but Jaden Springer is nowhere close to the rotation. If the 76ers could find a team willing to take him on, even if it means attaching a second-round pick, they will not hesitate to do so.
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Clearing a roster spot would also be beneficial for Philadelphia. They are expecting to contend, which means they could be players on the buyout market later on in the season. Trading away Milton and Springer not only saves them money but gives them roster spots to pursue ring-chasing veterans later in the season for their postseason push.
