We suggest one trade the LA Clippers could make with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The LA Clippers became one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship thanks to last summer’s major offseason acquisitions. The Philadelphia 76ers are a team that also made major roster changes last summer to similar championship hype at the time. However, while the Clippers remain one of the favorites to bring home to Larry O’Brien Trophy once the season resumes, the Sixers have major question marks about the present and future of their franchise.
Last offseason, the Sixers had some tough decisions to make. The team quite literally came within a few bounces of making the Eastern Conference finals. Forwards Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler were both about to become free agents and demand major money. The team chose to resign Harris to a max contract while Butler wanted to take his talents to South Beach. Miami’s inability to sign Butler outright was Philadelphia’s gain as they were able to get Josh Richardson in return in a sign-and-trade deal. With the money they were able to save swapping max-level Butler for a much more affordable Richardson, the Sixers were able to lure Al Horford away from their division rival the Boston Celtics, albeit at a major price tag.
The Sixers were able to take care of what seemed to be their biggest weakness; the backup Center position. The team fell apart whenever superstar Joel Embiid was on the bench. With Horford, they’d now have a quality defensive anchor when The Process needed to rest.
Things haven’t gone exactly to plan for the Sixers. Philadelphia currently holds a disappointing sixth-place seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 39-26. Before the league suspended play, Horford was demoted from the starting lineup to the bench. Major questions about the team’s roster construction and fit were raised that yet to remain answered. Rumor has it the team is looking to move Al Horford, and we have a suggestion…
Why we suggest this trade for the LA Clippers:
Al Horford is a quality defensive anchor and a high-IQ basketball talent. He’s able to anchor the defense, spread the floor, and would fit in much better on the Clippers than he’s currently meshing with the Philadelphia 76ers. The clutter that’s caused by pairing Horford with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would disappear when inserting him into the Clippers lineup. He would most likely go back to looking like the Al Horford from the Boston Celtics of the recent past. That is just the type of player the Clippers would love to have for a potential NBA Finals matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Would the Sixers do it?
We don’t want to use the phrase “in a heartbeat” but the opportunity to add a backcourt defender like Beverley to their already solid defensive lineup while adding a floor-spacing forward (and hometown favorite) the caliber of Morris would give the Sixers a combination of pieces that perfectly fit the current holes in their roster puzzle, and a much-needed jolt of energy.
Read the rest of our “One Trade with every Team” series here:
Pacific Division: Lakers, Warriors, Kings, Suns
Northwest Division: Nuggets, Jazz, Thunder, Blazers, Timberwolves
Southwest Division: Rockets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Spurs
Atlantic Division: Raptors, Celtics, 76ers, Nets, Knicks
Central Division: Bucks, Pacers, Bulls, Pistons, Cavaliers
Southeast Division: Heat, Magic, Wizards, Hornets, Hawks