Philadelphia 76ers: 2 more Rockets to pursue in an Eric Gordon trade

1. Jae’Sean Tate

The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly have their eyes set on signing P.J. Tucker, the certified “tough guy” who recently declined his player option with the Miami Heat and was openly opined for by Joel Embiid after his team was eliminated from the playoffs.

On paper, Tucker is an almost perfect fit for what the Sixers are looking to add, as he’s a great on-ball defender, a steal specialist, and one of the best pound-for-pound offensive rebounders the NBA has to offer today. While he doesn’t take a ton of 3s, he’s a slightly-above-average maker of the shot, as he made 41.5 percent of them in 2021-22 and 36.4 percent of his attempts from deep as a pro.

And yet, at 37, there’s genuine concern over how much longer Tucker can play like he plays at such a high level, which could put the prospects of signing him to a long-term deal very much up in the air.

Fortunately, if the Sixers trade for Eric Gordon, they can actively pursue Jae’Sean Tate from the team, who is sort of like if P.J. Tucker was born a decade later.

Like Tucker, Tate is a small-ball power forward who is more wide than tall and an absolute pest on the defensive end of the court. He has wonderful footwork on-ball, with the long wingspan needed to both disrupt the passing lanes and block balls once they leave a shooter’s hands, and even if he doesn’t hit 3s at the NBA average, he supplements his misses with shots around the basket as both a slasher and a dunk spot specialist. Factor in Tate’s 3.7 personal fouls per game, which led the NBA in 2021-22, if you can believe it, and you’re left with an aggressive bulldog who can do the dirty work and take some pressure off of Joel Embiid in the painted area.

So why, you may ask, would the Houston Rockets trade away Tate like they did Tucker before him? Well, because the soon-to-be third-year player will turn 27 this October and is only one month younger than Christian Wood, who was just traded away in part because he isn’t in the same age range as the team’s core players. While the Rockets would probably be fine to keep Tate for the remainder of his current contract and maybe even hand him an extension if the price is right, securing an asset for the future might just be worth more to the team than his on-court efforts in the here and now, especially if there are additional assets added to the deal to sweeten the pot.

Who would you like to see the Philadelphia 76ers land from the Houston Rockets via trade? Let us know!