Philadelphia 76ers President Daryl Morey has to have something up his sleeve right now. Star guard James Harden has requested a trade. Philly has only filled in the margins of its roster after losing to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Meanwhile, rumors continue to pop up regarding the uneasiness of reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
Simply put, Morey has been at this too long not to realize that it’s a pivotal moment to keep Philadelphia’s championship window open.
Knowing this, he’s having talks with the Chicago Bulls about potentially acquiring All-Star wing Zach Lavine in what would be a blockbuster trade.
“The LaVine trade chatter isn’t going away. In fact, league sources said that LaVine has landed in preliminary conversations with both the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, who are working with James Harden and Damian Lillard, respectively, to find them new homes,” Report from K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
It must be noted that this doesn’t mean Harden would be directly involved in any deal sending LaVine to Philadelphia. The veteran guard wants to contend for a championship. Chicago is not in that category right now. It will not be in that category by flipping LaVine for Harden. Rather, Morey would have to get a bit more creative.
Related: Philadelphia 76ers taking hardball approach to James Harden trade request
How a Zach LaVine trade to the Philadelphia 76ers might look
An interesting backdrop here is Philadelphia’s decision not to seek out a contract extension for star young guard Tyrese Maxey. This could mean that Morey is finally willing to move Maxey after pushing back against including him in trades for Kawhi Leonard, among others, in recent years.
Regardless of a pending Harden trade, Philadelphia could make a move for LaVine in a separate deal. This would include Maxey heading to Chicago as the centerpiece. From there, the expiring contract of Tobias Harris would also be sent to the Windy City. That might very well be enough to entice the Bulls given how people around the league seemingly value Maxey as a potential franchise cornerstone.
- Zach LaVine stats (2022-23): 24.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 49% shooting, 38% 3-point
The question here is whether Philadelphia believes that flipping Maxey and Harris for LaVine would be seen as an upgrade or needle mover. That’s where the aforementioned Harden comes into play.
Either way, Morey is not resting on his laurels. He knows full well that the 76ers must upgrade their roster if contention is going to be the name of the game next season. Embiid’s future in Philadelphia could depend on it.