The Sixers have enjoyed a fantastic start to the NBA season, but is it enough? The team may be finding themselves in a tricky situation.
Joel Embiid is playing at an MVP level, and Ben Simmons has been a tremendous supporting star for him. The Sixers finally even have some great talent around their two main stars. However, is all of this truly enough?
The Sixers sit atop the Eastern Conference at this stage in the season. Still, some problems have crept through. Even though the performances have been consistently excellent, 3 point shooting is still an issue.
Whilst Curry, Milton, and Green can give the Sixers some bright perimeter shooting, they still lack that consistent 3 point shooter they once had in JJ Reddick.
Ben Simmons
Another issue that’s crept through is that Ben Simmons hasn’t taken a consistent step forward in his game. Yes, he scored 42 points in his last game, and maybe he can build on that, but we’ve yet to see him do it consistently.
Simmons has been great this season in his own way, but he hasn’t fixed some of the issues that plagued him from last season, and that’s lead to trade talks, mainly around James Harden, but also someone like Bradley Beal from the Wizards.
Right now, the Sixers find themselves in an awkward situation and a situation that is instrumental for the future of the team. Looking at where they are. How Embiid is dominating with the new supporting cast around him.
You can definitely make the case to not give up anything and stick with the roster they have. However, the Sixers are still that one piece missing from being considered genuine contenders in the NBA.
The obvious pros of trading are getting a player like Beal or Reddick, maybe a younger player on the market like Lonzo Ball, or perhaps even a smaller piece like Nemanja Bjelica from the Kings.
How Far Can The Sixers Go?
In my opinion, the Sixers cannot win it all with their current roster, which is weird to say, given I think they have the best chance out of everyone to beat the Lakers.
They’re lacking a consistent shooter to carry some of the weight if Embiid has an off-night or just take some of that weight off Embiid entirely.
If the Sixers manage to trade for Bradley Beal, they instantly become a top 2 team in the NBA. They have the bench players and scoring to really contend in every minute of a game, and it’s a pretty tricky task to try and shut Embiid down.
Adding Beal, or Reddick, to this roster would be frightening for the rest of the NBA. Ben’s defensive ability, combined with the MVP season Embiid is having, plus the clear scoring/offensive ability Beal has, would be almost unstoppable.
The issue with trading for someone like Beal is the price it’ll cost the Sixers for him. Do they truly want to give up a large portion of their future to try and make a huge run at a championship in the next year or two?
Would A Trade Solve All Of The Sixers Issues?
Take a Beal trade, for instance. You’re talking about Ben Simmons being in the middle of a trade saga for the second time this season. You’d have to include a couple of firsts at the very least and a young piece or two like Maxey and/or Thybulle.
For me, with what Maxey has shown so far and the steps Thybulle has taken this season, I think it’s too much of a price to pay for Beal. Even if it means a proper run at a championship.
I prefer building a squad with young talent, hence why I think it’s too much for the Sixers. Still, I also think the Sixers would be taking a huge risk putting another trade saga on this well-gelled roster.
There are significant pros and cons to the Sixers making a trade, whether for a star like Beal or a smaller piece like Bjelica. I think the price would be too high for Beal, so I think the smartest move for the Sixers to do would be to add a smaller, cheaper piece like Bjelica or maybe Reddick depending on the price for him.
The Sixers have a very talented roster right now that is winning games and seeing their stars finally benefit from having a great supporting cast. Still, it’s clear they need something a little more.
Whichever way they go, it’s a tough situation to navigate, and it will alter the team’s future for years to come.
