Philadelphia 76ers: What’s the best trade offer 76ers can make for a star player?

The Philadelphia 76ers may look to make a big move at the NBA Trade Deadline. What’s the best possible package they can offer for a star player? 

Now that James Harden has officially been traded to the LA Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers can move on. However, there’s a natural question of what comes next for the Sixers.

Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have been sensational for the Sixers to start the season but losing Harden will certainly hurt the team’s chances of winning a championship this season. With added assets, this is where Sixers general manager Daryl Morey can work his magic.

Heading into the NBA Trade Deadline season, which is still a couple of months away, there’s somewhat of an expectation that the Sixers are going to make a move. And perhaps for a star-level player. If the likes of Zach LaVine or even OG Anunoby do end up hitting the trade block, could the Sixers win a potential bidding war?

Let’s explore what a “best trade offer” could look like from the Sixers.

Crafting the best possible trade package the Philadelphia 76ers can offer at the deadline

After moving off of Harden, here are all the draft picks that the Sixers have at their disposal heading into the NBA Trade Deadline:

• 2024 first-round pick (not tradeable due to Stepien rule)
• 2026 first-round pick
• 2026 first-round pick (from LAC, via OKC)
• 2028 first-round pick
• 2028 first-round pick (via LAC)
• 2029 first-round pick
• 2030 first-round pick 
• Eight second-round picks

There’s a scenario where the Sixers can build a package around three first-round picks, a flurry of second-round picks, and pick swaps at the NBA Trade Deadline. The Sixers also have Tobias Harris’ contract that they could staple to draft picks to match the salary for a star-level player.

If Philadelphia wanted to keep Harris in the fold for the remainder of this season, the Sixers could cobble together the expiring contracts of Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Furkan Korkmaz, and/or De’Anthony Melton to match up salaries with a potential trade target.

All in all, trading Harden puts the Sixers in a much better position heading into the trade deadline. Especially if they’re looking to make a big move for another star-level talent.

It’ll be interesting to see how aggressive the Sixers end up being over the next couple of months in the trade market. With how well this team has played through the first few games of the season, there’s a chance that adding a third star-quality player next to Maxey and Embiid could elevate this team to the upper tier in the Eastern Conference.

After the Harden trade, the Sixers have the assets to make a deal work. The only question is, will they pull the trigger?