Sixers Reportedly Tried to Make a Big Move at NBA Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a very interesting position. They have two aging (and often injured) superstars looking to win now and make the most of the final years of their careers. Then they have two young superstars, who obviously want to win, but are on a much less rushed timeline. If the Sixers weren’t tied to Joel Embiid and Paul George’s huge contracts, they probably would look to build a young team around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Unfortunately, they don’t have that privilege. 

So, instead of getting younger, the Sixers actually considered making a real win now trade at the deadline. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports recently reported that the Sixers attempted to land another veteran superstar at the trade deadline. 

“Executives have said that the Sixers were actively making calls pre-deadline, though nothing seemed remotely close. Some sources suggest that Morey was star hunting with Kawhi Leonard being a name that was connected to Philly. But nothing happened. So Embiid, Maxey and the team saw McCain get dealt, the tax get ducked, and no pieces brought in to help.”

If the Sixers had been able to land Kawhi Leonard at the trade deadline, they probably would have become the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. While they weren’t able to pull it off, it shows the mentality that Daryl Morey has about the current roster. Morey still wants to win now and is willing to make big moves to get Maxey and Embiid additional pieces to make a run at the wide open Eastern Conference.