Christmas Mailbag: Unwrapping Trade Questions

'Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the tri-state area, Sixers fans were stirring. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Daryl Morey soon would drop a new player there.

Your friends at Sixers On SI could not combine to be Clement Clarke Moore, so we'll stop right there. But we can field your trade questions as transaction season approaches.

Jared McCain for Tari Eason

The first question is from Dinsaursenior420 on Bluesky: "Is Jared McCain for Tari Eason a realistic trade scenario both basketball and CBA wise?"

Bryan: Let's start with the CBA side first. The Sixers aren't hard-capped, but they're less than $1.1 million below the first apron. The Rockets are hard-capped at the first apron and sit roughly $1.25 million below it. So, both sides can take back more money than they send out, but neither one could cross the first apron if they did.

McCain is earning roughly $4.2 million this year, while Eason is at nearly $5.7 million. So, the Sixers would have to send out at least one additional contract (likely Eric Gordon), whether it's to Houston or a third team. The Rockets do have one open roster spot, so they could take McCain and Gordon for Eason and still stay under the hard cap.

Now, from a basketball perspective: As much as I love Tari and his conceptual fit on the Sixers, he's also set to become a restricted free agent in July. The Sixers will have a tough enough time re-signing both Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. while staying out of apron prison as is. Unless they make a bigger change – read: trading one of Paul George or Joel Embiid and taking back far less salary – they'd be better off keeping McCain's cost-controlled rookie-scale contract on their books for now, at least until they see what happens with Grimes in free agency this summer.

Austin: No need to regurgitate what Bryan said about the finances. I'll stick to the basketball. This is the rare trade proposal that I think does some good for both sides and thus is somewhat realistic. The Sixers unclog their guard rotation and fortify their depth at forward while the Rockets add some talent to their backcourt and make Fred VanVleet replaceable. That benefit doesn't matter much right now, but it will matter in a year or two down the line when team-building becomes more costly for them.

On the other hand, I see why neither team would do this on December 18. The Sixers, you could argue, would be selling low on McCain. That's not at all the modus operandi of Daryl Morey's front office. On the other hand, Ime Udoka-coached teams like to lean defense first, and that is probably one of the things keeping Nick Nurse's trust in McCain short at the moment.

It's a realistic trade insofar as I think it's a sensible idea, but I also think both teams would find ways to decline.

Wings on the trade market

The second question comes from Kellen Pastore on Bluesky:

"The Sixers haven't been getting consistent wing production, with PG and Oubre often out this season, and Justin Edwards not playing well. Are there some wings they could realistically target in the trade market to add more depth?"

Bryan: Herb Jones will be the popular answer, although it would be tough for the Sixers to come up with the salaries they'd need to match for him. That's the problem they'll run into even for cheaper wings like OKC's Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million) or San Antonio's Jeremy Sochan ($7.0 million) who otherwise might be available. Unless they're willing to flip Oubre or Drummond as part of that package – which largely defeats the purpose of said trade in the first place – they're likely shopping in the minimum-contract aisle.

If the Cavs go into cost-cutting mode since they're in second-apron hell, maybe Larry Nance Jr.? Sacramento's Doug McDermott could probably be had for cheap as well. Keon Ellis would be the dream target, although he's hardly under the radar at this point. Maybe one of Vince Williams Jr. or GG Jackson from Sacramento?

Austin: Not only will it be tough for the Sixers to drum up the money to make the deal legal, but there will be a market for Jones and that will always make deals more difficult and less negotiable.

My approach to this is that three-point volume has to matter because I am skeptical that Dominick Barlow and Joel Embiid can coexist as long as Embiid is struggling as much as he is from beyond the arc.

With that said, here would be three cost-effective names on my list: Simone Fontecchio (Miami), Sam Hauser (Boston), Brice Sensabaugh (Utah) and Royce O'Neale (Phoenix).

O'Neale would rank last because he's undersized for a forward (but he is strong) and the Suns are in the thick of things in the west. I think the easiest to make work would be Sensabaugh because of his $2.6-million salary and he's just big enough to change the team's dynamic a bit on both ends of the floor. Fontecchio and Hauser would be excellent fits, both in size and skillset. But they're on teams that will directly complete with the Sixers for positioning in the east, so that seems unlikely.

Who says no?

This last one comes from Dan Favale on Bluesky:

Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Kawhi Leonard, Kris Dunn, Kobe Sanders, 2031 second-round pick, 2032 second-round pick

Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Joel Embiid, 2028 first-round pick (its own), 2029 first-round pick (its own)

Bryan: With all due respect to Kris Dunn and Kobe Sanders, this trade effectively boils down to shedding the final two years of Embiid's extension at the cost of giving up the Clippers' 2028 pick and 2029 swap rights.

Since the Clippers already owe their 2026 first-rounder and a 2027 swap to OKC, they have zero incentive to tank over the next few years once they age out of the Kawhi/James Harden core. So, while they're currently mired in a season from hell, they could be on the other side of it by 2027-28. Look no further than Phoenix's turnaround this year.

With that said, the Clippers have done a terrible job developing their young players in recent years outside of Ivica Zubac. If the NBA comes down hard on them for the alleged salary-cap circumvention scandal involving Leonard, that might also impact their ability to land marquee free agents, although they are poised to have significant spending power either this coming offseason or in 2027.

I'm guessing the Clippers say no here unless they simultaneously offload Zubac and get significant draft capital in return. After building around an oft-injured player for the past six-plus years, the last thing they'd likely want is another oft-injured star on a massive, long-term contract. The Sixers might be more amenable to it, but I could also see them waiting and holding out hope with Embiid for now. Besides, the closer he gets to the expiration of his contract, the less it should theoretically cost for them to dump him.

They should have other opportunities to use those Clippers picks, whether it's to ditch Embiid or get additional help for Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Until we see the fallout from the NBA's investigation into the Aspiration allegations, the Sixers should be reluctant to part ways with those picks, particularly in what amounts to a massive salary dump.

Austin: If I'm Morey, I'm laughing and hanging up, and for one simple reason: Functionally, Embiid and Leonard cancel each other out because of health. So you, Lawrence Frank, are essentially pitching me on getting out from under the Embiid contract two years sooner at the price of relinquishing your two prized firsts.

But Embiid is three years younger than Leonard is. He has none of the baggage Leonard has and the Clippers will always be the little brother in Los Angeles.

Even if it is LA and there is a risk that the Clippers hit free agency well and make those picks practically worthless, there isn't a robust history of building high-achievers in that building. There's an even less robust history of cultivating significant contributors out of the draft.

So I'm happy to keep my bet. I'm just as happy to sell them to someone who is more enamored with your draft assets than I am. And I'm happy to bet that Embiid finds a level of health that Leonard cannot.