NBA Trade Deadline Isn't a Topic of Conversation Within Sixers' Locker Room

On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers wrapped up their second-straight road game with a win over the Golden State Warriors. Sixers fans celebrated the victory, of course, but many also began to think about the what-ifs.

The next time the Sixers take the court will be on Thursday night to face the Los Angeles Lakers. That afternoon, the 2021 NBA trade deadline will go into effect at three o'clock eastern standard time.

So, if the Sixers intend to make any moves, they'll have to do so before Thursday afternoon. As always, the 76ers are involved in trade talks and have been linked to a handful of players over the last couple of months, weeks, and days.

The roster could look different the next time the Sixers take the court, but the team claims they aren't thinking about the possibility of things changing sooner than later. As the 76ers are playing great basketball and team chemistry is at an all-time high as they sit first place in the Eastern Conference, Philly is moving forward as if there is nothing to worry about.

“I don’t read much, so I don’t see a lot of what’s going on," said Sixers head coach Doc Rivers in regards to trade rumors. While Rivers hinted that the Sixers aren't exactly looking to remain the same beyond the deadline, he did clarify that trade rumors are not a topic of conversation behind the scenes.

"There is no need to have a conversation right now," Rivers continued. "We’re in a great place as a group. We’ve won nine out of ten games, and our guys are playing good basketball -- no need to talk about it.”

Sixers veterans Danny Green and Tobias Harris are both players who have been traded several times throughout their careers. While they've admitted that younger guys without that experience haven't really sought out advice from them lately, they both revealed a similar message they have for their teammates, hearing their names pop up in trade rumors as the deadline approaches.

"It's out of my control," Green said on Sunday. "Our focus, our control, is winning games and playing basketball. Whatever happens, happens. Our focus is not. . . We don't even think about that. Trade deadline, trades, that's something I've learned as I've gotten older, to only worry about the things I can control."

"Obviously, it's one of those times of the year, but you'll face it every single year," Harris said Tuesday night. "My advice is just to stay in the moment right now. You can't really control what's going on and what you hear. I'm not making any assumptions and putting that in their head, but my biggest advice is just stay right here in this moment."

Young Sixers veteran Tony Bradley came to the Sixers via trade in the offseason. While he might not have the same experiences of seasoned veterans such as Tobias Harris and Danny Green, Bradley does reiterate the simple fact that even though trade rumors are a hot topic outside of the Sixers organization, they're hardly being discussed within the locker room.

“Personally, I haven’t talked to anybody about the trade deadline," Bradley said. "I don’t hear many people or many players talk about it. I didn’t even know the deadline. . . When is the deadline? I didn’t even know. I wasn’t even worried about the deadline. I don’t really know much about it.”

The next 48 hours or so could get hectic for the 76ers, but it's a promising sign that the trade rumors haven't done anything to affect the confidence and mindset of anybody on the roster. Whatever happens will be out of the players' control, but it seems the organization is doing an excellent job of keeping distractions away.

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