As Thursday's trade-deadline approaches, the Sixers don't seem likely to be as active as they have at the two previous trade deadlines under Sam Hinkie, but Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer says that the team hasn't ruled anything out.
It appears #Sixers still want assets. #NBA source says team interested in taking in bad contracts so they can also receive draft picks.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) February 17, 2016
With plenty of cap space, the Sixers would consider helping teams make a trade work, according to a league source. The source said the Sixers were sending out feelers on Wednesday about being a third team in any deal that is looking to dump contracts. The source said that Sixers would take on the salaries to receive draft picks.
This report speaks to Hinkie still having power, because on the surface the team doesn't need to add any draft picks. They are likely to have multiple first-round picks this season, but don't have any second-round picks in either of the next two drafts. Hinkie is known to covet "assets", and if the Sixers can take back a player like Anderson Varejao, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News suggested earlier today,they could potentially add a second-round pick(s) in one of the next two drafts. Varejao has an expiring contract and adding another chance to draft a player in one of the next two drafts would make sense for the Sixers.
One of Pompey's sources also suggested that the Sixers could attempt to stabilize the point-guard position if the right opportunity presents itself.
They are also in the market for a prized point guard, according to another league source.
A third source suggested to Pompey that the Sixers could attempt to land Jeff Teague or Dennis Schroder from Atlanta, as many have speculated on. That still seems less than likely.
Fans shouldn't enter tomorrow's trade deadline expecting the Sixers land a building block piece or trade one of their talented young big-men, though they probably didn't enter last year's trade deadline expecting the team to move K.J. McDaniels or Michael Carter-Williams either.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is an editorial assistant for Sixerdelphia.com.
