Trade Targets for 76ers to Avoid at 2024 Deadline

The Philadelphia 76ers have everything needed to make a splash ahead of the upcoming NBA trade deadline.

Except for perhaps a splashy trade target.

This trade market is light on sellers and may be absent a full-fledged difference-maker. It’s possible, though, that a roster featuring reigning MVP Joel Embiid and ascending star Tyrese Maxey doesn’t need that type of pickup anyway.

While Philly has the tools—namely, draft picks, mid-sized salaries and financial flexibility—to afford just about anyone available, that doesn’t mean everyone fits what the franchise needs. The following three players, for instance, should be outright ignored.

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De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks

Philly, like most teams, could stand to add another big wing who contributes on both ends of the floor. De’Andre Hunter qualifies as such in the simplest terms.

He is a versatile defender who’s typically good for 15 points per night (14.9 this season) and posts an average-to-above percentage from three (40.4 now, 36.1 for his career). He’s also a limited creator (for himself and his teammates) who never emerged as the kind of all-purpose impact stopper folks hoped he’d be when he arrived as the No. 4 pick of the 2019 draft.

He wouldn’t have trouble finding his on-court fit in Philly, but there are two red flags that should convince the Sixers to stay away.

The biggest is the four-year, $90 million deal he started this season, per Spotrac. The Sixers have enough wiggle room to fit that on the books, but doing so might get in the way of future pursuits of more dynamic players. Given their asset collection, they should be dreaming bigger at the deadline or during the upcoming offseason.

Hunter also doesn’t have the cleanest injury history. He has never played 70 games in a season, topped 55 appearances in just one of the last three and has already missed 20 tilts this time around.

Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls

Given the lack of high-end talent in the trade market, one might think it shouldn’t be too hard to unload Zach LaVine. As a 28-year-old with two All-Star selections on his resume and some of the better scoring numbers of the past half-decade, his stature and statistics feel like they could be really coveted.

Of course, we all know that isn’t the case. With just two weeks remaining before the Feb. 8 deadline, there are “still no takers” for LaVine, leading to an “increasing expectation of him remaining in Chicago,” per Matt Moore of Action Network.

While a few desperate teams may throw low-ball offers for LaVine at the Bulls, the Sixers should just stay away. The combination of his enormous contract (three years and $138 million remaining after this season, per Spotrac), ongoing injury concerns and lack of winning is nothing Philadelphia should want anything to do with.

Not to mention, he just wouldn’t be a great fit with this group. He’d help as a scorer and spacer, sure, but the Sixers are plenty potent as it is. He would, however, potentially lead to more leaks on the defensive end, which is clearly his weak point, as is the case with his would-be backcourt mate, Maxey.

Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers

If the Sixers really wanted to, they could probably talk themselves into Jerami Grant being the two-way playmaker they’ve been trying to get. He has some off-the-dribble creation in his game (though more for himself than setting up others), and he can toggle through various defensive assignments with relative ease.

His offensive value stems mostly from scoring, though, and he isn’t always the most efficient player. He’s also never been a featured scorer on anyone but bottom-feeders, so he probably isn’t the point producer his scoring average says he is (21.6 per game). Versatility drives up his defensive value, but he’s not a lockdown stopper at the point of attack.

He is a good player, but the cost to get him (and keep him) is more what Philly should reserve for a great one. The Blazers don’t want to let him go, so they may need multiple, valuable assets to let him go. Beyond that, any team that acquires him is immediately on the hook for the five-year, $160 million contract he signed last summer.

As flexible as Philadelphia is, a splurge of this magnitude would be the one major move this team can make. The Sixers can’t pay that price knowing there might be better (and more cost-effective) players available to them in the near future.