Philadelphia 76ers: Does a proposed Collin Sexton trade make sense?

Does flipping Josh Richardson for Collin Sexton make sense for the Philadelphia 76ers?

Do you ever come across a hypothetical mock trade that stops you in its tracks? Not because it’s particularly bad or laughably one-sided, but just for the sheer… hmm-ness? Well, that happened to me with this gem from our good pals over at Hoops Habits, involving the Cleveland Cavaliers and our hometown Philadelphia 76ers.

In the move, one of four suggested by Tony Pesta, the Sixers would surrender Josh Richardson, Norvel Pelle, and the 21st overall pick in 2021 in exchange for Collin Sexton and Cedi Osman.

That’s… hmm.

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Pesta’s theory for why this move makes sense is as follows: The 76ers need more offensive firepower to optimize the pairing of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. By swapping out Richardson, a defensive-focused wing, for a sparkplug combo guard like Sexton and a catch-and-shoot forward like Osman, it would objectively make the team’s offense better, even if it means surrendering the 21st overall pick in the process.

Personally, I don’t see why Norvel Pelle needs to be included in said deal, but maybe that’s just because I’m a card-carrying member of the Block Party.

On paper, this trade would actually help to fix a number of the Sixers’ present issues without jeopardizing too much of their future.

Sexton is unquestionably a higher-upside prospect than anyone available at 21 in this year’s incredibly volatile draft. Granted, Sexton is a minus-defender and a big ‘ole nothingburger as a facilitator, but he averaged 20.8 points per game as the Cavs’ top offensive option in 2019-20, all the while knocking down 38 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

While some around the NBA, at least according to Brian Windhorst, feel as though Sexton’s ceiling is as a sixth man coming off the bench for a really good team, if Doc Rivers’ track record with players like Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams is of any indication, that may not be an issue with this year’s iteration of the Sixers.

Furthermore, unlike the current iteration of the Cavs who initially planned on running a two-point guard system under then-head coach John Beilein but maybe going in a different direction under J. B. Bickerstaff, pairing up Simmons and Sexton either in the same backcourt, in the same starting lineup – with Simmons now a forward – or even with the 6-foot-1 Alabama prospect coming off the bench next to Shake Milton could optimize the 21-year-old’s effectiveness. Gone would be the laughable semantics of asking Sexton to consider passing the ball and instead would be a high-flying, basket driving skywalker the likes of which the Sixers haven’t employed since Allen Iverson himself.

Mind you, Sexton doesn’t have the same ceiling as AI, but in theory, the duo don’t play too dissimilarly.

Factor in Osman, a 25-year-old Macedonian small forward who has averaged 12 points on a shooting percentage of 36 from beyond the arc, and the Sixers’ offense genuinely would be improved without having to do major surgery. Who knows, maybe he and Furkan Korkmaz could even break out their absolutely crazy Darth Vador dunking routine from back in their shared tenure with Pertevniyal S.K.

*sigh* I guess the Sixers would still need to do something with Al Horford to get him off the books moving forward, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Next. Daryl Morey (thankfully) already loves Joel Embiid. dark

In the world of basketball, no trade is a sure thing. Even the most obvious, lights out moves could ultimately turn fruitless – see Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee – and ones initially perceived as relatively inconsequential could blossom into something massive – see Rafer Alston for Kyle Lowry. With that in mind, if any team can land a 21-year-old 20 points per game scorer at a position of need specifically built to play alongside your two best players, I’d tend to shade on the side of doing it. Would the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers agree? Well, that remains to be seen.