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The Sixers Did Nothing to Improve at the Trade Deadline
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The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and in addition to sending Jared McCain to the Thunder for four draft picks, the Sixers shipped Eric Gordon to Memphis:
They created flexibility to duck the tax and convert Barlow. That’s basically what the deadline was. The return on McCain is good, a late first rounder and three second rounders, but they didn’t improve a team that is 29-21 and 5th place in the Eastern Conference with Joel Embiid playing great basketball and looking the healiest he’s looked in about two full years.
Not to mention, the inactivity comes about a week after Embiid asked Josh Harris not to duck the tax, so the optics look poor from that perspective. They’re in a weird spot with a young and promising backcourt that will be here for years to come, but Joel Embiid’s window is closing faster than the temperature is dropping outside. It’s almost like there are two different versions of the Sixers, the “future is bright” version with Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and then the “it’s a miracle these guys are even playing” version with Embiid and the currently-suspended Paul George.
Put those two thoughts together, and the Sixers are what, exactly? A contender? A first-round playoff exit? Is Josh Harris the basketball Dave Dombrowski, and “content” with what he has? We’ll find out more when Daryl Morey talks to the media on Friday.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com