Philadelphia 76ers
Knee-jerk move: Trading Jared McCain
It may not be a popular point of discussion just yet but here's the reality of the situation. If the Philadelphia 76ers are serious about winning with Joel Embiid and Paul George, they may need to explore a bold move at the NBA Trade Deadline or during the offseason. That bold move may be to trade Jared McCain. If there's one thing we've learned so far this season, it's that the duo of PG and Embiid may not be what many expected it to be when the initial signing happened. That's fine.
However, looking at this team's roster, the only high-quality trade piece that the Sixers may have at the moment is McCain. Here's the thing about McCain. Even though he's had a strong start to the season, can the Sixers envision him being a No. 1 or 2-level star in this league? If the answer to that question is yes, then you clearly don't trade him. If it's no or even maybe, the Sixers have to consider it. Winning with Embiid should be the No. 1 priority for the Sixers right now. They have 2-3 years, if that, to accomplish it. Trading McCain may seem foolish on the surface, but it may be something the Sixers might want to consider.
Phoenix Suns
Knee-jerk move: Trading Jusuf Nurkic
It's been a tale of two seasons for the Phoenix Suns this year. When they're healthy, they look like a team that could win it all. When they're not, they leave a ton to be desired and may not even be a playoff team in the Western Conference. But even when healthy, there's reason to believe that the Suns should be looking to upgrade their roster. Unfortunately, the only real path toward doing so likely revolves around trading Jusuf Nurkic. And while it may seem like a solid play on paper, I'm not sure it's one they should pursue.
At least for me, the bottom line is this: I'm not sure there's going to be a strong enough market for the Suns that it would make sense to trade Nurkic. In the end, that's what it may come down to. While trading Nurkic may seem like a strong plan on paper, if the Suns aren't getting good value in return, it should make a trade less likely. For now, I can't imagine the Suns are going to get an offer where it would make sense to pull the trigger. Maybe I'm wrong?