The Philadelphia 76ers may currently hold the best record in the Eastern Conference, but they are still expected to be active on the market before the 2021 trade deadline. After the Brooklyn Nets successfully created a “Big Three” of James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant, most people believe that the Sixers might need more star power around Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid in order to have a realistic chance of reaching the NBA Finals and capturing the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season. One of the most realistic trade targets for the Sixers is veteran shooting guard Victor Oladipo of the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets have yet to make Oladipo officially available on the trading block. But if they continue to lose games and find themselves out of the playoff race, they might trade their veterans and undergo a rebuilding process. If Houston is finally open for negotiation, Kyle Daubs of Fadeaway World suggested that the Sixers could offer them a package that includes Danny Green, Shake Milton, and a 2021 first-round pick in exchange for Oladipo. If the proposed deal pushes forward, it could help both teams fill their needs and improve their rosters.
“The Rockets should flip Oladipo. who is in a contract year, for more draft capital. Houston is the No. 14 team in the Western Conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves as the only team ranked below them. It’s time to begin the firesale. Nobody is talking about how well Shake Milton is playing this season. Milton is averaging 16.9 points per game and is shooting 50.4% from the field. The Rockets would get a quality guard and an expiring contract in Green. The 76ers would need to package a first-round pick but it would be worth the rental because the 76ers need a boost if they want to compete with the three-headed monster in Brooklyn.”
Oladipo could be an intriguing addition to Philadephia. He may have spent the past two seasons recovering from an injury but right now, he’s already in perfect shape and starting to show glimpses of his old self. The potential arrival of Oladipo in the City of Brotherly Love could potentially address their need for another playmaker and shot creator and help them improve on both ends of the floor.
Oladipo isn’t only a very reliable scoring option, but he’s also a great perimeter defender. This season, he’s averaging 21.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc, per Basketball-Reference.com . To make himself fit in Philadelphia, Oladipo would still have to make certain adjustments with his game.
However, once he becomes comfortable with his role as the team’s third option and builds good chemistry with Simmons, Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Seth Curry, the Sixers would likely have a better chance of beating the Nets and other Eastern Conference powerhouse teams in a best-of-seven series.
Meanwhile, the proposed scenario could arguably be a no-brainer for the Rockets. Instead of letting Oladipo walk away in the 2021 free agency period without getting anything valuable in return, the suggested trade would enable them to flip his expiring contract into a young and promising talent in Milton and a future first-round pick. Green may only be included in the deal for salary-matching purposes, but he’s still good enough to help the Rockets obtain more future draft assets before the trade deadline.