NBA Trade Deadline Heating Up

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

We’re less than 8 hours from Thursday’s 3:00pm trade deadline, and after a quiet first couple days from Philadelphia’s perspective, things are beginning to heat up. While Joel Embiid is over in Qatar meeting with world-class sports medicine consultants (and presumably evaluating the working conditions of those poor individuals tasked with building the facilities for the 2022 World Cup), Sixers management has been busy working the phones back here in the States.

The biggest news (from a probability of it happening perspective) comes via a proposed deal sending Pau Gasol from Chicago to Sacramento. As Adrian Wojnarowski reported, the Kings want to bring in Gasol in exchange for, among other things, lessening the protection on their top-10 protected 2016 first round, which Chicago owns.

However, because the Sixers also have swap rights with the Kings’ 2016 pick, they have to be included in any discussions involving that selection. As we saw in the original Landry/Thompson/Stauskas deal, Sam Hinkie and company have a good idea on how to fleece Sacramento in any potential transaction. Good things possibly to come here for Sixers fans. Derek Bodner does a good job breaking down how this trade could potentially affect Sacramento’s future first-round pick also owned by the Sixers.

ESPN sources say Sixers indeed have listened to pitches this week but NOT looking to trade any of their bigs unless it's a motherlode offer

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 18, 2016

There was a lot of buzz around the Sixers “gauging interest” around in league in Jahlil Okafor, but as Marc Stein indicated above, it would take a “motherlode” offer, so don’t expect anything to happen there. It’s similar to last year when the team really wasn’t openly trying to move Michael Carter-Williams, until the opportunity to grab that Lakers top-3 protected pick fell into their laps. Which means it’s certainly possible, so stay tuned until an hour past the trade deadline, but both Okafor and Noel should still be in uniform with the Sixers come Friday.

Cavs also considering a trade that would include a LeBron favorite, Anderson Varejao. Portland & Philadelphia are possibilities.

— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) February 17, 2016

Aside from the potential Chicago-Sacramento exchange, the most likely way the Sixers get involved in a deal prior to the deadline is by taking on an unwanted contract. Philadelphia has plenty of cap space and we’ve seen them pick up draft picks in the past in exchange for taking guys like JaVale McGee or Eric Maynor off someone else’s hands (and cap sheet). One such name floated out there has been Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao. Varejao’s deal includes two years and $19M guaranteed. There are also plenty of other teams out there looking to trim their luxury tax bill, with whom Philadelphia could get involved in exchange for a second-round pick or additional sweetener.

The last two years, Evan Turner was actually announced to have been traded after the 3:00pm deadline, and Michael Carter-Williams was dealt in the last 10 minutes leading up to it. All of which is to say, keep your eyes glued to your twitter timeline and NBA rumors page until well past 3 o’clock. Things are about to get wild.