Sixers Rumors: The Trade Speculation Surrounding Furkan Korkmaz
The NBA trade deadline will be here sooner than we know it. Last season, the Philadelphia 76ers were heavily linked to blockbuster trade scenarios, which, as we know, resulted in a trade that headlined a swap of Ben Simmons and James Harden.
This year, the situation is different. With the Sixers employing Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Harden as their core players — the team isn’t rumored to be looking into a star shakeup this season. Instead, a name like Furkan Korkmaz is being floated around as a potential mover.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Sixers are expected to “tinker” with the roster with smaller moves. Here’s what the NBA insider had to say:
“I think they’ll be looking more on the margins of things where that’s kind of been historically the tinkerings that Morey has done dating to Houston midseason, and Furkan Korkmaz, hardly playing right now for this team, or inconsistent in his usage off the bench, on the hook for another $5.3 million next year, definitely been a name I’ve heard rival teams speculate as someone to be looked to move.” h/t Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire
Earlier in the season, names such as Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle were floated around as possible Philadelphia trade candidates. With Harris buying into his role and consistently thriving as a higher-volume catch-and-shoot player from beyond the arc, the Sixers seem more than content with keeping his contract on the books for now.
As for Thybulle, he’s beginning to pick up more minutes as his defense is once again becoming a big help for the Sixers. You could make the argument that perhaps the Sixers are increasing Thybulle’s minutes as a showcase ahead of the deadline, but there hasn’t been any indication the Sixers are looking to move on from the defensive standout, as he still holds significant value in the rotation.
At this point, Korkmaz is the only Sixer in the trade rumor mill. With the Sixers’ rotation constantly changing throughout the season, Korkmaz hasn’t had a steady role since Philadelphia faced injury concerns in late November/early December.
For an 11-game stretch, Korkmaz averaged 16 minutes on the court. Since going inactive on December 16 due to an illness, Korkmaz’s minutes have been low-to-non-existent. Over the last eight games, Korkmaz has only seen the court in four outings. Outside of the shorthanded blowout in Oklahoma City, where Korkmaz picked up 25 minutes of playing time, he’s totaled just four minutes on the court since December 21.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
