The Sixers will focus on improving their depth between now and the playoffs, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team’s most pressing needs are another perimeter defender and a a big man to back up Joel Embiid, Pompey adds, and management plans to pursue both of those on the trade and buyout markets.
“Where you end up feeling it the most is, ‘What’s your depth? What’s the depth of your team?’” coach Brett Brown said. “(GM) Elton Brand is doing aggressive work behind the scenes, trying to figure out the design of our team as the trade deadline comes up. And I’m following his lead.”
The Sixers were big winners at buyout time last season, landing a pair of shooters in Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova. However, Ilyasova had played in Philadelphia before and Brown had a connection to Belinelli from their days in San Antonio, so duplicating that success won’t be easy.
Two things are working against the Sixers’ effort, Pompey notes. The playoff race hasn’t shaken out like they had hoped, and with so many teams still in contention there may be a shortage of sellers before the deadline. Also, Markelle Fultz, who might have been a useful trade chip, has been sidelined since November 19 with thoracic outlet syndrome.
There’s more this morning from Philadelphia:
- Corey Brewer, who signed a second 10-day deal on Friday, deserves to be kept for the rest of the season and possibly longer, Pompey states in a separate story. Brewer has started the past three games while Jimmy Butler recovers from a sprained wrist and is averaging 10.8 points per night since joining the team.
- Surrounded by elite players, J.J. Redick can get overlooked, but the Sixers are pushing for him to land a spot in the All-Star Game, Pompey adds in another story. Redick is averaging a career-high 18.4 PPG at age 34 and is having one of his best all-around seasons, shooting 38.9% from 3-point range, contributing 2.8 assists per night and playing 31.1 minutes per game. “I just want to keep playing and enjoying playing,” he said. “Whether that’s three years or five years, I don’t know. You can’t really predict. But how I felt the last couple of years, I’d like to keep playing for a while.”
- The Sixers believe they have something special in rookie guard Landry Shamet, relays Dario Skerletic of Sportando. The 26th player selected in the 2018 draft, Shamet is averaging 8.4 points per game, shooting better than 40% on 3-pointers and has shown an ability to handle both backcourt positions. “He’s not your typical rookie,” Redick said. “It’s fun to see a guy who’s 21 years old and is already, basically a pro. He acts like a pro, he plays like a pro.”
‘What’s your depth? What’s the depth of your team?’” coach Brett Brown said.
Well what is the depth of feeling of Coach Brett Brown?
What does he do to make the Sixers go?
What is his style of offense?
Style of Defense?
He has been with the Sixers since 2013
Sixers make it official, hire Brett Brown
Aug 14, 2013
He has no trademark, except he grew a beard, but other than that. He’s nothing!
The Sixers will not go anywhere until Brown is gone and they get a legit playmaker on the team. Simmons is no point guard! He refuses to create his own shot, he knows to how to do a no look pass and that is about it.
SMH
Only point guards in today’s NBA create there own shot. He does a fine job at point. Nash, Kidd, Stockton, Payton don’t create there own shot. The Sixers play a different style of basketball. It’s called win on defense.
It’s not like he kept guys motivated through the losing years and is now dealing with a team with 3 players who aren’t exactly the best fit together and each have egos to manage. It’s also not like he was able to get more out of the team when the front office gave him shooters. If you forget ALL of that I guess he just has a beard. Great insight, buddy.
That’s three paragraphs of nothing…
I mean, I’d like to see Simmons at the 4 and have him play a similar offensive position as Draymond Green. But that doesn’t make him “not a PG.” Green could play PG on offense; in fact, he often does.
Landry was the 26th player taken in the draft, not 18th.
Hawks make a lot of sense, they have two players they could use. And money can match up.
simmons only cares about double-doubles, embiid cant practice and his body’s breaking down.. sixers remain as pretenders
You remain a troll
Simmons cares about Triple Doubles* and I quote “Practice, we’re talking about practice? Not a game, not a game, but practice.”
Shamet has been great and thank god for JJ
Wonder if and when New Orleans becomes a seller – Mirotic would look nice at the 4.
5 Players to deal away – Chandler, Muscala, Amir, Patton, Korkmaz = 23.7M in capital.
Chandler + 2021 1st for Mirotic? (Recoup the 1st NOLA gave up for him)
Amir, Patton, Korkmaz + 2019 1st and 2 2nds for Prince and Dedmon?
They can’t make these kind of moves next year once they max out Jimmy Butler.
Do you mean Miami’s 2021 pick? That seems like way too much for Mirotic. I could see doing it with their own pick this season, maybe. However, they can trade for Mirotic without actually giving away salary and I’m sure NOLA doesn’t want Chandler. How about next season’s #1 for Mirotic? That seems reasonable for the Sixers. Not sure what NOLA can get for him, though.
As for the ATL trade, I can’t imagine Amir would agree to be traded to ATL. But, assuming they aren’t also making the other trade, they can do this trade without Amir. I don’t see ATL trading Prince, though, who I think they want to bring back next season. He’s probably more valuable than the Sixers pick and a second rounder. The rest of those players are UFAs, so ATL’s only value here is the picks. I do like that you’re trading one guy who plays for two guys who would play.
The salaries match on both of your versions of these trades, so they can totally make similar trades next season.
Go get jrue back!
Yes. Would NOLA do Jrue for Fultz and the Miami pick? I’d do that in a second if I were Elton Brand, maybe with Smith included, too.
Joel-Butler-Simmons-Jrue would be an excellent core for the next three years and it would allow the Sixers to fill their last starter spot with a player who plays any position other than center.
However, they would not have enough cap room to sign a max player, so they can only do this if they are certain they can bring back Butler.
I still don’t see how there need for a backup center is greater than there need for a starting PF (or a PG and let Ben play PF). Bolden is a so-so backup center. Muscala is a fine reserve PF (as would be Chandler), but neither he nor Chandler are decent starters.