Doc Rivers Acknowledges Sixers' Weaknesses Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline

With the NBA trade deadline less than 24 hours away, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to shake up the roster before they can no longer make changes through the trade market. Ever since the offseason, the Sixers have had one of the biggest trade chips in the league, with Ben Simmons urging the team to get him out.

At this point, the Sixers hope to deal Simmons away to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden. However, it won't be an easy task as the Nets want a lot more than Simmons in return for Harden.

Regardless of whether the Sixers deal Simmons away for another star or not, Philadelphia needs to make some sort of move to improve the roster. In the past, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that improving the team's rebounding and playmaking could go a long way.

Following Tuesday night's matchup against the Phoenix Suns, the Sixers head coach once again acknowledged a glaring weak spot on the team.

"It's tough. We have no choice. We have to get another guard," said Rivers after the loss to the Suns. "We just do. Even if (Furkan Korkmaz) and Shake (Milton), we need a point guard, and we're looking, but they don't grow on trees, as you know."

Rivers mentioned that the Sixers "got away with" not having a true backup point guard in the first half against the Suns on Tuesday. But when the second half rolled around, the area they lacked affected them down the stretch.

"It's funny, I told Sam (Cassell), if I'm the Suns, when I come back out in the second half with that lineup, I'm picking up full court," Rivers continued. "And that's what, you know, Payton picked up and changed the tempo of the game. There's not a lot you can do with it. I think we handled it well. It just took us out of our stuff."

The need for a point guard is nothing new in Philadelphia. They pursued a trade for Kyle Lowry just last season before ultimately landing George Hill. 

While the Hill trade didn't pan out and the veteran found himself out of Philly after one season, the Sixers need to take another swing -- especially if they don't receive value for Simmons. But Rivers also keeps reality in check.

"We may do nothing, obviously," Rivers finished. "You can only do something if there's something there, but that's clearly something we're looking for."

The NBA trade deadline goes into effect on Thursday afternoon at 3 PM ET.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.