By Zach Ciavolella
The unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season is finally here. As the Philadelphia 76ers continue to take stock of their own ability to contend, the team’s options for this year and the seasons to come, a large portion of the league has suddenly become trade-eligible.
What is the significance of Dec. 15?
The midway point in the final month of the year marks the day when most NBA players signed during the offseason are eligible to be traded. While this marks the first major date of significance for the NBA’s trade articles, some players must continue to wait based on when they signed.
Which Sixers are trade-eligible?
As of today, Trendon Watford, Justin Edwards, Kyle Lowry, and Eric Gordon are all trade-eligible. At the moment, there’s no pressing likelihood for any of these players to be dealt. While deals on or about Dec. 15 are not unheard of, they’re also not exactly common, especially for Sixers’ president Daryl Morey, who has a tendency to work the phones down to the wire during the season.
Across the league, eligible trade candidates include big names like James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, and Julius Randle, in addition to more likely targets to be moved, like Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Josh Okogie, and potentially even Brook Lopez as the Clippers crumble.
Which Sixers are NOT trade-eligible?
The only player who cannot be legally dealt at this moment is Quentin Grimes, who will become eligible on Jan. 1, three months after he signed his qualifying offer with the Sixers. It’s worth noting that even after he’s eligible to be traded, Grimes carries a no-trade clause on his current deal, meaning he would have to agree to any potential trade he’d be involved in.
Who is trade-eligible across the league?
Players who are now trade-eligible include big names like James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, and Julius Randle, in addition to more likely targets to be moved, like Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Josh Okogie, and potentially even Brook Lopez as the Clippers crumble.
What and who are the Sixers’ assets?
Philadelphia’s future draft capital is among their premier assets, particularly their first first-round picks that are tied to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Sixers are without their own first-round pick this year, as their 2026 pick, which is only top four protected and thus likely to be conveyed, was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Al Horford deal in 2020. If their pick conveys to the Thunder, the Sixers will also be without their first-round pick, top-eight protected, in 2028. The pick was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets as part of the James Harden deal and is set to resolve two years after the Sixers convey their pick to the Thunder.
Outside of that, Philadelphia is set up rather well in terms of future picks.
The team owns their own picks in 2027, 2029 (LAC swap rights, protected 1-3), 2030, 2031, and their 2032 first-round pick. They also own the Los Angeles Clippers’ first-rounder in 2028 (unprotected). Having the majority of one’s own picks over the next seven years is valuable in its own right, but the unprotected pick by the Clippers in 2028 and the lightly protected pick swap the following year are among the team’s most prized assets.
Currently, the Clippers hold a record of 6-19, the fifth-worst record in the NBA and just two games back from the worst record in the league. The team is also financially tied to Kawhi Leonard and James Harden for the next two seasons and are without the rights to their first-round picks every year between now and the 2029 Draft.
There will be one gap year, during the offseason ahead of the 2027-28 NBA season, where, barring any future contracts, the Clippers will have more money available than just about any team in the NBA, but the team has rarely been a destination for free agents unless their from the area, and even still they’ve failed to find consistent success.
The two picks are among the most valuable the NBA has to offer in their respective years. But what of the players who could be dealt? Who holds value and how much?
First, let’s discuss the untouchables: Tyrese Maxey and… that’s about it.
The Sixers have placed a high amount of value on Jared McCain and even more so on rookie VJ Edgecombe, and while it would be particularly difficult to see them trade either, especially the latter, during this season, it’s not impossible.
Edgcombe is their clear top player asset. The young wing has an infectious, hard-working personality that perfectly jells with Tyrese Maxey and the direction the Sixers want to align themselves with moving forward. At this moment, I doubt Morey would include Edgecombe in a deal even for a player of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s caliber, especially considering the team’s wealth of assets.
Again, could the right deal come along? Sure, but it’s highly unlikely.
Jared McCain is far more likely to be dealt, but not during this season. His value has taken a slight dip as he continues to recover from a torn meniscus and a separately torn UCL. At least as long as Nick Nurse is the team’s head coach, it seems McCain is a bit of a fourth wheel in the Sixers’ guard rotation — ironically, a fourth wheel is not ideal in this particular situation.
Still, unless Morey’s feet are being held to the fire or a deal simply too good to pass on comes along, expect McCain to stay.
This is also true for Quentin Grimes, due to his no-trade clause, and for veteran stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, who, frankly, are on negative-value contracts and, at the moment, are proving far more valuable to the Sixers on the court than in the trade market.
Then there are youngersters Adem Bona and Justin Edwards, two players who have outplayed their current deals for the Sixers and would be unlikely to be moved unless they become necessary sweeteners in a larger deal.
Veterans Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre serve an important purpose for the Sixers, but it’s not ridiculous to envision a situation where other teams come calling for the pending free agents. Drummond continues to play at a fringe-starter level while Oubre has made himself into a crucial role player, should he remain in that role. If the Sixers duck the tax or aim to bring in a younger cost-controlled player, Drummond and Oubre may be discussed, but as the Sixers are currently among the more competitive players in the Eastern Conference, this is unlikely.
Finally, there’s the group this all started with, the veterans who are now trade eligible. Once again holding more value to the Sixers than to potential trade suitors, it’s likely they will stay in Philadelphia unless used for matching salary, players involved in a trade, or in a salary-dumping move like Drummond and Oubre.
When will the Sixers make a move?
As stated, Daryl Morey has a tendency to wait until the final day, if not the hour or even the minute, to make a move.
Of the 17 trades the Sixers have completed under Morey, 10 were on the actual trade deadline, six took place during the offseason, and the lone exception was the infamous James Harden trade, the events of which lingered far too long for just about everyone involved.
This is not to say there’s no chance the Sixers could make a move sooner should the right deal present itself. However, considering the questions surrounding the team’s direction moving forward, expecting anything significant might be a fool’s errand.
Finally, what will the Sixers do?
The Sixers will have a few options. Many tend to think of a team’s options as simply being buyers, sellers, or standing pat at the deadline, but there’s a bit more nuance to it than that.
As buyers, Philadelphia’s path is pretty simple. The team can take a swing at a move to improve their ability to contend this season, and potentially in future seasons, depending on the contract of whoever they add.
Selling is where things get a bit more complicated. The Sixers could look to duck the luxury tax, as they did last season, trading away Kenyon Martin Jr. and attaching draft compensation to complete the trade. The team could also move off a veteran, netting an unproven younger player in the process, in a bit more of a future-focused move — not unlike the decision to trade for Quentin Grimes last season.
The team could also opt to sell at the deadline with two potential benefits.
As for what they will do, these next several weeks will play a major role in determining whether the Sixers go all in once again, pull up at the last minute and stand pat, or sell in hopes of a brighter future.