In case you haven’t heard, the Philadelphia 76ers are on the lookout for some help on the wings, and they’re reportedly willing to pay a premium for the privilege, with both Danny Green and pick 23 in the 2022 NBA Draft being shopped for that very reason according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
But who could the Sixers pursue? Will they look to take a massive swing at a rapidly developing performer, someone like Cam Johnson, even if it costs a pretty penny to get a deal done? Or how about something a bit more modest, like trading for Monte Morris and/or Will Barton from the Denver Nuggets, who are reportedly available via the Denver Nuggets? Since the Charlotte Hornets are reportedly willing to trade away one of their first-round picks to get off of Gordon Hayward’s contract, could the Sixers expand that theoretical deal out to three and ship Tobias Harris out to a third team in pursuit of the Butler legend?
Well, if Brian Windhorst is to be believed – which he almost always is – the Sixers predictably have their eyes on a true Daryl Morey favorite: Eric Gordon.
The Philadelphia 76ers shouldn’t just target Eric Gordon from the Rockets.
That’s right, on a recent episode of his “Hoop Collective” podcast, Windy, Tim Bontemps, and Tim MacMahon discussed the potential for a Gordon trade away from Houston, with multiple teams, including the Sixers, offering up a first-round pick to get a deal done. Though pick 23 alone won’t be enough to legally get a deal done, as Gordon is owed $19.57 million for the 2022-23 season and the pick only has a cap hold of $2.56 million, the Sixers can easily make a deal work by adding Danny Green, Furkan Korkmaz, and Shake Milton to the deal if they so see fit, assuming all of the players in the deal have their contracts guaranteed and their options picked up.
But hey, if the Philadelphia 76ers are going to trade away their best chance at securing a promising young prospect for the foreseeable future, they might as well do their best to get a similar player back in the deal, right? I mean, hey, Eric Gordon’s great, but he’s 33 at the tail end of his prime; why not try to get another solid performer out of the deal too? Fortunately, Daryl Morey is in luck, as his former franchise does, in fact, have a number of solid youngsters who might not be in the Houston Rockets’ long-term plans.
2. Kenyon Martin Jr.
Kenyon Martin Jr. – or, as his friends call him, KJ Martin – is a very interesting prospect. He’s a second-generation NBA player whose father, Kenyon Martin Sr., actually played against Eric Gordon on six occasions from 2008-13, and one of the rare players in the NBA today who came straight from high school to the NBA, as he took a gap year at IMG Academy in Florida, the school that Jaden Springer attended, instead of playing for Vanderbilt, the school he initially committed to.
Though Martin wasn’t drafted nearly as high as his father, as he was the 52nd pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, selected six spots before Paul Reed, the 6-foot-6 big wing has averaged 22 minutes per game over his first two seasons with the Houston Rockets and has been a solid enough minutes eater for a squad looking to develop younger players.
And, in a very weird twist of fate, Martin reportedly wants out of his adopted home of Houston, as he let it be known to the organization that he would rather play out the final two years of his rookie contract elsewhere.
Could “elsewhere” be the Philadelphia 76ers? Well, if the team is already moving multiple assets to pursue Eric Gordon, I don’t see why Martin’s name wouldn’t come up on occasion, too.
Now granted, despite having almost twice as many NBA minutes under his belt than Jaden Springer, Charles Bassey, Isaiah Joe, and Paul Reed combined, Martin isn’t what you would call a complete NBA player. He’s not yet a high-end NBA defender, and his 3-point shot is just average in terms of efficiency (36.1 percent) and way below league-average in attempts (2.1). Still, Martin is a style of player the Sixers don’t currently employ, and his addition likely benefits the team a good bit moving forward, especially if Doc Rivers assumes he’s his father instead of a 21-year-old prospect.
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!