76ers targeted Ricky Rubio and Patrick Beverley via trade

After a 10-win season, drafting Ben Simmons and some front-office shuffling, the Philadelphia 76ers sound ready to make a major splash.

This isn’t much of a shocker, not with the team clutching a trio of talented big men in the form of Jahlil Okafor, Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel.

What is shocking, though, is just how bold the 76ers have been in trying to obtain a point guard. According to Sean Deveney of SportingNews, the 76ers hit the Minnesota Timberwolves about Ricky Rubio and the Houston Rockets about Patrick Beverley:

Philadelphia explored the possibility of working a trade for Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio on draft night, though that would likely have to be a three-team deal in order to provide the Timberwolves with the kind of veteran help the Sixers lack. Rubio is expected to be available again this summer. The Sixers have also expressed interest with the Rockets in point guard Patrick Beverley, a source told Sporting News.

This is a drastic change from the Sixers’ approach under Hinkie, of course, and not all denizens of Sixer-ville have been on board with Philadelphia’s new direction. But for players and agents, it’s a welcome change.

See that last bit of the quote? Players around the league like what the 76ers are doing.

Odd times, indeed.  Perhaps even time to place a wager on the 76ers at CasinoShark.

Regardless, either guy mentioned would do the job well. Rubio is 25 and posted a 10.1/8.6/4.3 slash line last year and might explode in a different system, hence the constant trade rumors around him. Beverley is a bit old at 27 but a proven vet who just went for 9.9/3.4/3.5 while not receiving starter minutes with a dysfunctional franchise.

This isn’t the first time Noel and others have come up in trade talks and it won’t be the last. After years of hanging out in the abyss, the 76ers are finally acting like a modern franchise and have the assets to wheel and deal and improve the team. And really, it’s rather exciting to think about what the team could do in the coming days and weeks.