76ers Have Reportedly Considered a Chris Paul Trade in the Past

During last year's offseason, the Philadelphia 76ers had a lot of flexibility financially as the team had enough money to offer two max contracts. Many assumed that one slot would go to Jimmy Butler, while the other could go elsewhere.

Instead, the Sixers worked out a sign and trade with Butler and offered a max contract to Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons while signing Al Horford to a four-year, $109 million deal. At the time, the moves were questionable. And at this point, weeks after the Sixers were swept in round one of the playoffs, the moves look straight-up terrible.

Horford's fit in the Sixers' starting lineup never made sense. And while Harris had a decent regular season, his production wasn't nearly enough to justify his contract. Now, as the 76ers head into the 2020 offseason, they have a burning need for shooters and shot-creators and not a lot of options.

At this point, the best and most realistic trade option for the Sixers seems to be Oklahoma City Thunder's veteran point guard, Chris Paul. Coming off of a fantastic season where he led the Thunder on an unexpected trip to the playoffs, Paul is need of a team that's ready to compete now.

Unfortunately for him, OKC is heading towards a rebuild. As the Sixers could use a true point guard, who specializes in both playmaking and shooting, many writers and analysts suggest Philly should consider Paul. But according to a recent report, the Sixers have already "seriously debated" acquiring Paul.

It seems the collective of decision-makers within Philly's front office from this past season opted to stay away from Paul. However, that may not happen again this offseason. As the Sixers are moving forward without the collaborative team that influenced decisions in the past, the Sixers could try to get some of their moves corrected this time around, beginning with acquiring Paul. Although it won't be easy, it won't hurt for the Sixers to try as they need a player like Paul to surround Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons with heading into the 2020-2021 NBA season.

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