The Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns were, without a doubt, the two most disappointing teams in the league last season.
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The expectations for these two teams were that they’d at least be playoff teams and give a top contender a run for their money. However, that was far from the case. Both teams dealt with injuries and dysfunction for most of the season, resulting in a combined 60-104 record.
The page has now turned for the two teams as they’ll look to reestablish themselves. The 76ers and Suns are on two different boats now as the season approaches.
The 76ers have a former MVP on their side in Joel Embiid, and could be a team that becomes an elite team in the lowly Eastern Conference. As for the Suns, they revamped this past offseason, losing Kevin Durant via trade and are not expected to do much this season.
While that could be the case for both squads, a massive trade could be on the horizon involving both teams. Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report recently proposed this massive trade that sees the 76ers and Suns swap superstars.
This trade idea sees the Suns acquire Paul George and then some, while the 76ers receive 28-year-old All-Star guard Devin Booker.
Philadelphia 76ers receive: Devin Booker
Phoenix Suns receive: Jared McCain, Paul George, a 2028 first-round pick (via the L.A. Clippers), a 2029 first-round pick and a 2031 first-round pick
“Doing so would be awfully costly, but Philly might have just enough trade chips to make it work,” Buckley writes. “The price tag would be three unprotected firsts and the subtraction of McCain’s sky-high ceiling, but the potential of a Booker-Tyrese Maxey-Joel Embiid trio would be incredible (with the if-healthy caveat perpetually attached, of course).
“For all that’s gone sideways with the Suns, Booker has continued to rank as one of the Association’s premier perimeter players on the offensive end. While an uncharacteristic drop in efficiency and Phoenix’s team-wide turmoil denied him an All-Star spot this past season, he still posted a 25-plus-point scoring average for the seventh consecutive campaign while also dishing out a career-best 7.1 assists.”
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On the surface, the two teams mightily improve off this hypothetical trade.
The 76ers get a younger and healthier player in Booker, who gets to pair with Embiid and fellow All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey. As for George, he is the de facto No. 1 option in the Valley of the Sun.
On top of that, the Suns receive a massive haul not only in terms of players but also in draft capital. As things stand, the Suns own only a single first-round draft pick, a 2031 pick. In this proposed trade, the Suns acquire three first-round picks, which could greatly benefit them in the future, whether they decide to use them or not.
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