Sixers Trade Deadline FAQ: Picks, Cap Space, Exceptions, and Real Limits

The Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, but all remains relatively quiet on the Sixers' front.

We got word that the Sixers plan to convert both Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker from two-way contracts to standard deals, which is completely unsurprising. Other than that, their biggest roster news to date was signing Charles Bassey to a 10-day contract, which they did largely because they had hit the 90-game limit of Under-Fifteen Games. (When a team has fewer than 15 players on its roster, it can only have two-players on its active list for 90 total games in a season.)

However, the dearth of rumors to date doesn't guarantee a quiet trade deadline for the Sixers. In fact, their proximity to the $187.9 million luxury-tax line—they're only $7.1 million above it after signing Bassey to his 10-day deal—begs the question of whether they'll try to duck the tax for the fourth straight season.

With that in mind, let's dive into everything you need to know about the Sixers heading into the trade deadline, FAQ style.

Which picks can they trade?

The Sixers already owe their 2026 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls outside the top four. If the Sixers somehow keep that pick this year, they'll owe their 2027 first-round pick to the Thunder if that falls outside the top four. In the extremely unlikely event that the Sixers have top-four picks in both years, they'll send their 2027 second-round pick to the Thunder instead.

If the Sixers do convey their 2026 first-round pick to OKC, they'll owe their 2028 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets if it lands outside the top eight. If their 2028 pick lands in the top eight or the Sixers don't send their 2026 first-round pick to the Thunder, they'll send their 2028 second-round pick to the Nets instead.

The Sixers also owe their 2026 second-round pick to either OKC, the Phoenix Suns or the Washington Wizards (likely Phoenix) and their 2030 second-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks. Those are their only outstanding pick obligations at the moment.

Courtesy of the James Harden trade, the Sixers will receive the Los Angeles Clippers' 2028 first-round pick no matter what it lands. They also have the right to swap first-rounders with the Clippers in 2029 as long as L.A.'s pick lands outside of the top three. Beyond that, they're owed a handful of second-round picks from other teams in the next few years.

That leaves them with these first-rounders to potentially dangle in trades:

2026 PHI (protected 5-30, aka it only conveys if it lands in the top four)
2028 PHI (protected 9-30) OR 2028 LAC (fully unprotected)
2029 OR 2030 PHI (not both)
2031 PHI (if they don't trade their 2030 1st)
2032 PHI (if they don't trade their 2031 1st)

While they don't have a second-rounder to offer in the 2026 draft, they do have a handful to offer for teams focused more on the long term.

2027 GSW/PHX (more favorable)
2028 DET (protected 31-55)
2028 GSW
2029 PHI
2030 PHX/POR (more favorable)
2030 WAS
2031 PHI
2032 PHI

Do the Sixers have any cap space?

No. Not even close, in fact. Next!

Which salary-cap exceptions do they have?

The Sixers have not spent their mid-level exception this season. All they did this offseason was sign Trendon Watford to a two-year minimum contract, hand out a few two-way contracts—which they absolutely cooked on, by the way—and re-sign a few end-of-the-bench options. Yawn!

Here's where it gets tricky. Teams that spend the larger non-taxpayer MLE get hard-capped at the first apron. That means they can't have more than $195.9 million on their books at any point between now and June 30. Teams that spend the smaller taxpayer MLE get hard-capped at the $207.8 million second apron, but they are allowed to exceed the first apron.

At the moment, the Sixers are less than $920,000 below the first apron. So, they'd realistically need to dump a ton of salary to gain access to the non-taxpayer MLE. If anything, they figure to use the taxpayer MLE instead.

Both the non-taxpayer and taxpayer MLEs began prorating downward as of Jan. 10, so they are no longer worth $14.1 million and $5.7 million, respectively. However, the prorated taxpayer MLE is still worth more than $5 million as of late January. That's far more than the prorated minimum contract, which will be less than $1 million by the start of February.

The NBA's latest collective bargaining agreement did make one notable change to the taxpayer MLE. Under the previous CBA, contracts signed via the taxpayer MLE could span up to three seasons. Now, they can be only two years at most.

There's no guarantee that the Sixers will even use their mid-level exception, though. That's because they also have apron and hard-cap considerations to keep in mind.

Do the Sixers have any real limits?

After signing Bassey, the Sixers have $195.0 million on their books for luxury-tax and apron purposes. As of now, they are not hard-capped at either the first or second apron.

If the Sixers take back more salary than they send out in a trade, they would become hard-capped at the first apron, so they wouldn't be allowed to exceed $195.9 million in total salary from now through June 30. Given their current proximity to the first apron, that would be a terrible idea.

If the Sixers aggregate two smaller contracts to acquire a bigger salary, they would hard-cap themselves at the second apron. They'd also get hard-capped at the second apron if they use their taxpayer MLE. But since they're nearly $12.8 million below it, they shouldn't be in any real danger of exceeding that threshold.

Their real limit, as usual, may be the $187.9 million luxury tax. They're $7.1 million above it, although they don't have an easy way to get below that line.

Salary-dumping Andre Drummond ($5.0 million) and Eric Gordon ($2.3 million) would temporarily accomplish that goal, but they'd go right back above it once they convert Walker and Barlow from two-way contracts to standard deals. By our estimation, they'll need to finish at least $1.425 million under the tax line after the trade deadline to ensure they can stay below it.

If the Sixers don't care about ducking the tax this year, they should be relatively unencumbered at the trade deadline. Their biggest obstacle beyond that is their proximity to the first apron and their lack of mid-sized contracts.

Unless they can find a team that's willing to take on Joel Embiid ($55.2 million) or Paul George ($51.7 million), they'll mostly be limited to bargain-hunting. Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million) and Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.4 million) are their biggest realistically movable contracts, which puts them out of range for someone like New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III ($25.0 million).

As you assemble your personal trade deadline big boards, keep these limitations in mind. The Sixers aren't likely to acquire anyone earning more than $10-15 million unless either Embiid or George is outgoing. Beyond that, load up your favorite trade machine and get cooking.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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