It's hard for me to feel pity for Philly sports fans, but man it has to suck to be a 76ers fan. Sam Hinkie should be investigated for some sort of conspiracy for his role in completely destroying a team with a big enough market that in no way warrants the drastic decline they have had under his control. It even got so bad that Adam Silver had to try to pull his best David Stern impersonation by forcing Jerry Colangelo into the organization to stop their "we won't win, so let's just tank" mindset. Rant aside, Hinkie is gone but his front court logjam remains. Let's take a deeper look into how Colangelo and the members of the Philadelphia front office can make it back to relevancy.
First, let's analyze which starters they already have set in stone. I believe their best possible front court would be with Ben Simmon at small forward, Dario Saric at power forward, and Nerlens Noel playing center. Simmons is a point forward who attempts to mimic LeBron James in terms of his ability to be a triple-double threat night in and night out, Saric is a 6'10" 240 pound big man who knocked down the three ball at an astounding 40% clip while overseas last season, and Nerlens Noel is a defensive specialist that makes any player think twice about driving to the rack. The three of them could compliment each other tremendously, if Brett Brown plays them right. This leaves Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor as potential trade chips. That being said, Embiid would be selling low by all accounts due to his injury history. Now looking at the backcourt, their options are TJ McConnell, Kendall Marshall, Gerald Henderson, Hollis Thompson, and Nik Stauskas. Let's face it, those options are atrocious. The only player there I could even make the argument that they could be a starter is Gerald Henderson, so for now we'll pencil him in as the starting shooting guard. That being said, neither McConnell nor Marshall will cut it as a starting point guard so they will need to find a good enough point guard to contend with the talent-loaded position across the NBA.
Option 1- Blockbuster
In the blockbuster trade everyone has been waiting for since Durant sold his soul to the....forget it, since Durant signed with the Warriors, Westbrook goes back home to the Lakers.
Lakers Receive: Russell Westbrook, Jahlil Okafor
Thunder Receive: Julius Randle, Luol Deng, TJ McConnell, 2018 Lakers 1st Round Pick
76ers Receive: D'Angelo Russell
Here I don't think there is a single team that feels they missed out. For the Lakers, they get a top 5 player in the NBA in Russell Westbrook, alongside the guy they were torn between taking last year when they elected D'Angelo Russell. After D'Angelo lost the respect of his teammates in an act that proved why all young athletes should ban themselves from social media, the Lakers were openly shopping him for "the right price." Well, if this isn't the right price, I don't know what is. Looking at the Thunder, they lose their superstar in Westbrook, but he has already made it clear that he has no plans on signing an extension after Durant's departure. So instead of sulking over it, Sam Presti does what he does best and immediately designs a team consisting of Oladipo, Randle, Deng, Adams and Kanter. Doesn't sound half bad to me. Finally, we take a look at how this helps Philly. Brett Brown gets his sharp shooting point guard in D'Angelo Russell to sit around the perimeter when the ball is inside, and also run the offense when Simmons is either off the court or without the ball. And there you have it, a rare win-win-win situation.
Option 2-Boston
In the case that the blockbuster doesn't happen for whatever reason, Jahlil is shipped off to Boston in return for young backcourt talent.
Celtics Receive: Jahlil Okafor
76ers Receive: Marcus Smart, 2017 Brooklyn 1st Round Pick
Although I'm sure 76ers fans are sick of hearing that they made another trade centered around a future pick, this trade would actually be very effective. Not only would they be getting a point guard in Marcus Smart who has proven that he is a defensive commodity that can effectively run the point and is capable enough from downtown to knock down an open three when the defense collapses on Simmons in the paint, but they can also rely on the Nets being bad enough to be a lottery team once again in 2017, allowing them to choose another guard to beef up the backcourt. On the other hand, Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge have already voiced that they are actually more interested in acquiring Jahlil than they are Westbrook, which says a lot.
Option 3-Wizards
The 76ers have nearly $40 million in cap space which allows for them to take on some contracts that most teams couldn't even dream of.
Wizards Receive: Nerlens Noel
76ers Receive: Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris
As mentioned above, the 76ers $40 million in cap space allows for them to take on the roughly $30 million guaranteed to Beal and Markieff Morris. The Wizards get a big man athletic enough to play the pick and roll with Wall, while also freeing up cap space to go after marquee free agents such as Kevin Durant or Blake Griffin in 2017. The 76ers get their backcourt sharpshooter in Bradley Beal, while also getting another stretch 4 who can knock down the three ball effectively in Markieff Morris. On top of this, there would be no worries about Markieff forcing his way out as he did in Phoenix, because he'd be returning home to The City of Brotherly Love. Remember, FOE.
Regardless of whether or not these trades happen, it is absolutely essential that Colangelo and the rest of the front office start providing Simmons with shooters around him or else they will not only struggle, but also stunt his growth. A talent with the playmaking ability of Simmons surrounded by shooters could be a deadly combination that catapults Philadelphia back into the playoff picture.