7 Possible Targets For The Sixers At The 2023 NBA Trade Deadline

Heading into the 2022 NBA trade deadline, the Sixers were under immense pressure to resolve a long-standing trade request from three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. They ended up trading him in a package to the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster deal for James Harden.

Sixers fans shouldn’t anticipate similar fireworks ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline this year.

“I think it’s very unlikely we’re involved in anything big [at this deadline],” team president Daryl Morey recently told Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice, affirming what he hinted at during a recent radio appearance. “It could easily be that we continue to just develop chemistry and then have the group we have. I and [general manager] Elton [Brand] and everyone feels a responsibility in an important year like this to see if we can find anyone who can upgrade the team.”

Given the Sixers’ limitations—they’re largely devoid of draft picks and high-upside young players to offer, and they have both hard-cap and luxury-tax considerations to be mindful of as well—it seems as though a minor upgrade is their best-case scenario.

“If you take the list of teams that are making players available that could maybe play for us in the playoffs, and then the ones that we can acquire, it’s a very, very small list,” Morey told Neubeck. “I think we feel good going to war with who we have, but if we can find an upgrade and give [head coach] Doc [Rivers] more weapons for his playoff arsenal, we’ll do it. But we don’t go into this thinking we have to upgrade a particular player.”

Because of the NBA’s salary-matching rules for trades—teams above the tax can receive only 125 percent of the salary they send out, plus $100,000—players such as Detroit Pistons wing Bojan Bogdanovic ($19.6 million) or Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon ($19.6 million) might be out of the Sixers’ price range. They’ll likely be limited to players in the $8-12 million range at most.

Based on a combination of rumor mill buzz, dot-connecting and their financial and asset constraints, these seven players stand out as possible Sixers targets ahead of this year’s trade deadline.

Jarred Vanderbilt, PF/C, Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz big man Jarred Vanderbilt appears to be the name tied most heavily to the Sixers in the lead-up to the trade deadline.

“Vanderbilt has been described by league personnel as a leading target in Philadelphia’s quest to fortify its frontcourt reserves behind Joel Embiid,” Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Saturday. A source confirmed the Sixers’ interest in Vanderbilt to Paul Hudrick of Liberty Ballers, but hinted that Utah’s asking price for him might be out of the Sixers’ range.

Citing multiple sources, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday that Vanderbilt “is a leading target in the Sixers’ quest to fortify frontcourt depth.” He reported the Jazz want a first-round pick for Vanderbilt, who’s earning $4.4 million this season and $4.7 million next year.

The Sixers already owe a top-six-protected 2025 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder and a top-eight-protected 2027 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets, which limits what they can offer for Vanderbilt or any other trade target. The Stepien Rule prevents teams from going back-to-back years without having a first-round pick, and teams can’t trade picks more than seven years in the future, so the Sixers could trade a conditional 2029 first-rounder at best.

Vanderbilt would be a strong pickup for the Sixers if they can meet Utah’s asking price. The 6’9″ big man has largely split his time between power forward and center this year, and he’s a strong rebounder, particularly on the offensive glass. The Sixers have consistently been one of the league’s worst offensive rebounding teams under Rivers.

Vanderbilt isn’t much of a shot-blocker, but he’s among the league leaders at his position in generating steals. He’s also begun to show more of an ability to stretch the floor in Utah. After launching only 21 three-pointers across his first four seasons combined, he’s 19-of-57 from deep (33.3 percent) this season.

Andre Drummond, C, Chicago Bulls

Vanderbilt isn’t the only big whom the Sixers have been connected to in recent days. They’re reportedly interested in a reunion with Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond, too.

Pompey reported Wednesday that Drummond “could also be an option if the asking price is right.” However, Neubeck noted Tuesday that “Chicago might be asking for more than expected” for Drummond, “maybe even keeping him.”

If the Bulls want a first-round pick for Drummond, that might take the Sixers out of the running for him. If they’re willing to settle for less, the Sixers could cobble together a few different offers that could pique their interest.

Drummond played 49 games with the Sixers last season before they included him in the Simmons-Harden swap in February. He averaged 6.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks in only 18.4 minutes per game with them. Despite his limitations as a pick-and-roll defender, he’s arguably the best backup they’ve ever had behind Joel Embiid.

The Sixers are roughly $1.2 million over the luxury-tax line at the moment, while the Bulls are $1.7 million under it. The 26-28 Bulls almost certainly have no interest in going above the tax, so the Sixers would have a tight financial needle to thread in their efforts to acquire Drummond.

Trading Matisse Thybulle ($4.4 million) for Drummond ($3.2 million) would put the Sixers $680 below the tax line—perhaps too close for comfort—and keep the Bulls out of the tax as well. Including Furkan Korkmaz instead ($5.0 million) would give the Sixers more wiggle room under the tax but would push the Bulls above the tax threshold.

Nerlens Noel, C, Detroit Pistons

Vanderbilt and Drummond aren’t the only bigs whom the Sixers are reportedly eyeing.

They’re among the teams that have recently called the Detroit Pistons and “inquired about” Nerlens Noel, according to James Edwards III of The Athletic.

On Wednesday, longtime NBA insider Marc Stein said the Sixers and Miami Heat “continue to register interest” in Noel. Edwards mentioned the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics as other teams who’ve “expressed interest” in him.

The Sixers acquired Noel in a draft-night trade back in 2013, and he spent the first few seasons of his NBA career in Philadelphia. He has since bounced around between the Mavericks, Thunder, New York Knicks and now the Pistons. The 28-year-old is averaging a career-low 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in only 11.4 minutes per game this season across 13 appearances.

The rebuilding Pistons have no need for Noel, who’s earning $9.2 million this season and has a $9.7 million club option for the 2023-24 season. However, the size of his contract could prove prohibitive for the Sixers in trade talks.

Since the Sixers are currently above the tax line, they’d need to send out at least $7.3 million in salary to bring back Noel’s $9.2 million contract. They have only five players earning at least $8 million, which means they’d likely have to send out at least two players to satisfy the NBA’s salary-matching rules.

A source told Pompey that the Pistons “would be open to buying out Noel’s contract if he goes untraded,” so the Sixers might prefer that route. However, a source told Pompey that “Noel’s hometown Celtics are looking at him as a player to add for certain matchups in the postseason,” so there’s no guarantee he would be headed to Philly if he does get bought out.

Naz Reid, F/C, Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid appears to be another frontcourt target for the Sixers. During a recent appearance on the Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said they have “significant interest” in him (h/t Justin Grasso of All 76ers).

Reid has been a bright spot for the Timberwolves this season. In 49 appearances (nine starts), he’s averaging 10.3 points on a career-high 43.8 percent shooting, 4.8 rebounds, 0.9 blocks, 0.9 made three-pointers and 0.6 steals in only 17.9 minutes per game. He also ranks among the top quarter of all big men this season in both block rate (2.6 percent) and steal rate (1.5 percent).

Reid is earning only $1.9 million this season, so the Sixers would have no problem acquiring him from a salary-matching perspective. However, the Timberwolves are roughly $3.1 million below the tax line and likely have no interest in going over, which could complicate trade negotiations.

Reid’s impending foray into unrestricted free agency also could affect his trade value. According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, Reid is “said to be seeking salary in the ballpark of $10 million next season,” which might be too rich for the Sixers to pay for a backup center.

If the Sixers are OK with acquiring Reid as a half-season rental, he’d be a sensible target given the lack of salary-matching issues. They might be reluctant to give up much value for him if they expect him to walk in July, though.

Royce O’Neale, F, Brooklyn Nets

After trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks over the weekend, it’s unclear whether the Brooklyn Nets plan to be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported that the Nets planned to offer the draft picks they acquired in the Irving trade “in trade talks to try to improve the roster” ahead of Thursday’s deadline. But on Tuesday, Wojnarowski reported that the Nets and All-Star forward Kevin Durant had “been engaged in conversations” about “the direction of the franchise and its ability to be a championship contender.”

Durant already requested a trade this past summer, and the Nets may now be more amenable to a breakup than they were back then. If they decide to be sellers at the deadline ahead of a potential Durant trade this offseason, the Sixers should inquire about the availability of Royce O’Neale.

The 29-year-old is averaging a career-high 9.4 points per game and is knocking down a career-high 2.3 three-pointers per game on 40.3 percent shooting. He’s shooting only 39.9 percent overall this season, but that’s because nearly two-thirds of his shot attempts are coming from deep and he’s shooting by far a career-worst 38.9 percent from two-point range. (He shot 60.9 percent on twos last year in Utah.)

Although O’Neale lacks the size to match up with bigger forwards—he’s 6’4″ with a 6’9″ wingspan—he’s the type of three-and-D glue guy that the Sixers need off their bench. He’s earning $9.2 million this year and is under contract for $9.5 million next year, so he wouldn’t be a half-season rental, either.

If the Sixers could acquire O’Neale using some combination of Thybulle, Korkmaz (for salary-matching purposes) and the Charlotte Hornets’ 2023 second-round pick, it should be an easy yes on their end.

Reggie Bullock, F, Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are among the teams who have expressed interest in acquiring Thybulle, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. It’s unclear whether they did so before or after the Irving trade, but adding a wing stopper should be an even bigger priority for them since they sent Dorian Finney-Smith to the Nets for Irving.

The Mavs are reportedly open to moving third-string center JaVale McGee, who’s in the first year of a three-year, $17.2 million contract, although that likely wouldn’t be enough for Thybulle. Instead, the Sixers might train their sights on swingman Reggie Bullock, who’s in the midst of a disappointing season.

Bullock is a career 38.3 percent shooter from three-point range, but he’s averaging only 6.5 points while shooting 36.4 percent from deep and 39.3 percent overall this season. He’s taking a career-high 83.3 percent of his shots from behind the arc, which helps explain his dismal overall field-goal percentage, but the Mavericks moved him out of their starting lineup over the past few weeks perhaps in part because of his inefficiency.

Bullock isn’t a plus defender like Thybulle, but he isn’t a glaring net minus on that end of the floor, either. If the Sixers believe Bullock could bounce back as a shooter while playing alongside the likes of Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, they might be willing to consider swapping Thybulle and salary filler for him.

Bullock is earning $10 million this year and is owed $10.5 million next year, only $5.5 million of which is currently guaranteed. The Sixers would have to send out at least $7.9 million in salary to acquire him, which likely means packaging Thybulle and Korkmaz.

Justin Holiday, G/F, Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are also among the teams who’ve expressed interest in Thybulle, according to Pompey. After taking a big swing this past offseason with a blockbuster trade for Dejounte Murray, the Hawks likely didn’t envision themselves sitting one game below .500 a week before the All-Star break.

While Bogdan Bogdanovic would be a dream trade target for the Sixers, his $18 million salary likely puts him outside of their realistic price range. Since young forwards Jalen Johnson and A.J. Griffin would presumably be off-limits in a Thybulle trade, Justin Holiday might be the Sixers’ most realistic option.

The 33-year-old is averaging only 4.5 points on 38.4 percent shooting in 14.7 minutes per game across 28 appearances for the Hawks this year. However, he’s a career 36.4 percent shooter from deep, and he averaged 11.0 points on 41.5 percent shooting in 49 games with the Indiana Pacers last season.

Luxury-tax concerns will be the biggest roadblock with a Sixers-Hawks trade. The Sixers are $1,178,847 over the tax line, while the Hawks are $1,181,201 under it. Both teams would have to thread an incredibly thin needle to get the Sixers under the tax (if that’s an organizational priority) and keep the Hawks under it as well.

Honorable mentions:

Taurean Prince, F, Minnesota Timberwolves

Zach Collins, C, San Antonio Spurs

Mo Bamba, C, Orlando Magic

Alec Burks, G, Detroit Pistons

Robert Covington, F, Los Angeles Clippers

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac or RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.