The Philadelphia 76ers’ issue of having a logjam at the center position is well-documented. Joel Embiid is finally slated to join the team with Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor both expecting minutes. The logjam becomes even larger when considering the power forward position with rookies Dario Saric and Ben Simmons also joining the team.
It’s safe to say that at some point, the Sixers will look to make some trades. But that may be much sooner than one would expect.
In an appearance on SiriusXM Radio (transcribed by RealGM), Colangelo admitted the team is looking for the right opportunity to trade one of their bigs:
“Absolutely not,” said Colangelo when asked if he’s comfortable entering the season with their three centers on the roster. “We’re not going to make a bad deal just to make a deal. I think we can be a better basketball team if we can distribute that talent better. Maybe take one of those assets and address other needs on the roster. I think right now it’s best to say we like all of them, we want to see if we can make the most out of each of them. At the end of the day, the reality says one has to go at some point but only when the deal is right.”
The 76ers need talent more than anything. However, it’s difficult to judge talent on short sample sizes and few minutes for the players. Additionally, they are very much lacking in rotational players at the guard and wing positions.
It will be difficult to trade one of these three players, especially considering Embiid has not played NBA basketball yet. But Bryan Colangelo certainly seems ready to do so as soon as the right trade comes along.
