NBA trade deadline looming large. It’s on the horizon.

The Sixers have until Thursday at 3 p.m. to decide if they’re going to do anything before we hit the buyout market.

Before I go down the list of possible targets, let’s take a step back and look at a couple of things, namely:

Existing situations:

  1. Wilson Chandler is now out 2-3 weeks with a quad strain
  2. Markelle Fultz and Zhaire Smith still are not playing
  3. Corey Brewer’s second 10-day contract is set to expire
  4. Furkan Korkmaz has been playing limited minutes since the Brewer addition
  5. Amir Johnson is essentially out of the rotation

What do the Sixers need?

  1. front court depth, namely a proper big to back up Joel Embiid
  2. a wing that can play defense
  3. an upgrade at second unit point guard if you aren’t a T.J. McConnell or Markelle Fultz believer

Wesley Matthews would address bullet point #2 if his contract is bought out by the Knicks. The Sixers have been linked to him and he really would be a nice fit as a 6’5″ small forward/SG hybrid who was shooting 38% from three before being traded to New York as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal. He’d be a solid defensive piece for the playoffs, the type of guy who helps with those tricky perimeter matchups.

Marc Stein:

What do the Sixers have to offer?

  1. Markelle Fultz
  2. Zhaire Smith
  3. The Miami 2021 first round pick
  4. another future first
  5. whatever player(s) you deem forfeit

I’m lukewarm on the idea of trading Jimmy Butler. He was great on Saturday night but oddly deferential in the Warriors win. I think I’d lean towards keeping him and trying to get him further acclimated, simply because great perimeter defenders don’t grow on trees, but if you can get involved in an aggressive blockbuster type of deal, I think you do it.

Right, so here are some of the names that are floating around out there, some I like and some I don’t like. Thoughts, in no particular order:

Nikola Mirotic

He’s been linked to the Sixers and he’s a guy I really like as a stretch-four who can shoot the ball and space the floor.

Brett Brown always prefers his power forwards to be able to do both of those things, and you saw the success Dario Saric and Ersan Ilyasova had playing in his system. Mirotic is averaging 17 and 8 this year and shoots 36.8% from three. He’s not going to challenge for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, but I don’t think you’re going to get a ton of drop off from 31 year old Wilson Chandler. The problem is that teams are going to search him out in the playoffs, and that’s an issue when you run into the likes of Pascal Siakam and Marcus Morris or that Aron Baynes/Al Horford look from the Celtics. Mirotic and JJ Redick in a starting lineup is defensively iffy, though you’d have a couple of guys capable of shooting the lights out.

Mirotic is 27 years old and earning $12.5 million on the last year of his contract. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

Jrue Holiday

I really liked Jrue as a Sixer back in the day, and there’s no question he’d be a perfect answer to the Raptors, Celtics, and Bucks in the playoffs, assuming he and Ben Simmons can figure out an on-ball/off-ball chemistry.

Problem is, he’s got two more years at $26 million on his contract before hitting a player option for 2021-2022. You’d probably have to give up Fultz, Chandler, the Miami 1st rounder, and more picks to get Holiday, or else you’re looking at some sort of wonky three-way deal, maybe one that sends Anthony Davis out to Los Angeles.

Something like this:

Even then, I’m not sure that’s enough value for New Orleans, but you get the idea. Throw in some picks, of course, but this also depends on what the Pels want to do moving forward. Blow it up? Start over? Keep Jrue? I don’t know.

E’Twaun Moore

Wing depth, a two-guard who can shoot the ball and play capable defense for you. He’s certainly an upgrade over whatever else is coming off the bench at this point and can also handle the ball if needed.

Moore is not Bruce Bowen on defense, but he’s 6’4″ with a pretty long wing span and can switch 1-3 in Brett Brown’s system. I really like Mirotic as a player, but if you’re talking to the Pelicans and looking ahead to wing matchups in the playoffs, Moore probably gives you more of what you were missing last April and May.

Dewayne Dedmon

His name came up as a buyout option even before the report linking him to the Sixers a week or two ago. Lloyd Pierce, the former Sixers assistant, might be willing to work with Elton Brand and Brett Brown in a “help me/help you” situation.

The depth behind Embiid at this point is Mike Muscala, Jonah Bolden, and Ben Simmons, who goes down to power forward while T.J. McConnell runs point, which has not been an effective pairing at all.

Dedmon hits the cap at $7.2 million, and you might be able to swing some other three-team deal here if other squads are looking at bringing in Hawks veterans like Jeremy Lin and Kent Bazemore. Taurean Prince is an interesting name as well, a cheap power forward who might be packaged into a Dedmon/Sixers deal.

Reggie Bullock

An affordable wing on a ‘meh’ Pistons team. Bullock is making $2.5 million this year and averaging 12 points per game on 38.3% three-point shooting He’s 6’7″, a 200 pound small forward who can give you some 3 and D in the playoffs if you decide against keeping Brewer around while deeming Korkmaz surplus.

Cavs, Grizz, Bulls

Three selling teams at the deadline.

I wouldn’t touch Kevin Love, not at his age with his injury history on that contract. David Nwaba I don’t think does much for you this season.

I’d take a swing on Justin Holiday, who was a 36% three-point shooter in Chicago before being traded to Memphis earlier this season. He’s 29 years old, affordable, another piece of wing depth. Garrett Temple is another guy I might consider.

Bobby Portis is a name that keeps popping up in regard to Philly and he’s playing really well right now, having averaged 14 and 7 in January. Energy guy, Sixer killer, plays defense, and punched one of his teammates in the face a while back, which means he’s “Philly tough.” He’s still on his rookie deal and will be a restricted free agent.

RE: Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, both guys are on the wrong side of 30 and make a ton of money, so I can’t see that happening. JaMychal Green as a stretchy four who can shoot a bit is much more realistic if the Sixers get on the phone with Memphis.

Pacers

What’s the strategy post-Victor Oladipo injury?

Cory Joseph would be a perfect defensive piece if Indy is looking to move him, total pest, really committed on that end. Darren Collison is another veteran point guard with an expiring contract. Bojan Bogdanovic looks to be re-signing in Indy.

Indianapolis is my trade deadline sleeper team.

Terrence Ross

Orlando is somewhat similar to Indy and New Orleans in the “what’s the plan?” department.

The Magic are 22-31 and three games out of the eight seed with Nik Vucevic on the final year of his contract and Aaron Gordon in year number one of a new deal.

Ross is another one of those dudes who always kills the Sixers. He’s playing 26 minutes off the bench and averaging 14 and 3 on 37.7% three-point shooting.

Noah Vonleh

There was a rumor linking the Sixers to Vonleh, which was shot down.

But you could do worse than having Vonleh as a backup big. He’s averaging 9 and 7 this year on a wretched Knicks team that just traded Porzingis and looks likely to swing (and probably miss) on a pair of max slots in free agency.

Jeremy Lamb

A good shooter who probably overlaps with Landry Shamet a bit too much for my liking. I think you just roll with what you’ve got in Shamet instead of pursuing a guy like Lamb. A Redick/Shamet/Lamb trio at shooting guard is somewhat redundant and doesn’t give you enough on the defensive end.

DeAndre Jordan

You’ve got rumors linking him to a Los Angeles return, but you can do a lot worse with a half-season rental. Jordan backing up Embiid gives you the second unit beef that you just aren’t getting right now. He’s still playing 30 minutes a game and giving you 10 points and 10 rebounds, so Jordan certainly is not cooked. He’s making $22 million so you’d have to go the buyout route here.

That’s about it for now. Raptors at home tomorrow night, should be a good one.