The One Player Most Likely to Be Moved by the Sixers at the NBA Trade Deadline

Given their recent history at the NBA trade deadline, it's fair to wonder if (or how) the Sixers will try to get under the $187.9 million luxury-tax line this year.

Now that Charles Bassey's 10-day contract is official, the Sixers are roughly $7.1 million over the tax line. Salary-dumping Andre Drummond ($5 million) and Eric Gordon ($2.3 million) would push them less than $165,000 below that threshold, but they'd go right back over it whenever they convert Dominick Barlow and/or Jabari Walker from two-way deals to standard contracts.

The Sixers can get around that by salary-dumping Quentin Grimes ($8.7 million) or Kelly Oubre Jr. ($8.4 million). However, that wouldn't give them enough breathing room under the tax to convert both Barlow and Walker before they reach the 50-game limit for a two-way player.

Regardless of whether the Sixers prioritize ducking the tax this year, one player seems like a virtual lock to get moved between now and the Feb. 5 trade deadline. That would be Gordon, who hasn't suited up in more than a month.

Why the Sixers will likely salary-dump Eric Gordon

If the Sixers aren't set on ducking the tax, they might prefer to retain Drummond, who continues to start at center whenever Joel Embiid misses a game. Although Bassey gives them extra short-term insurance at center, it would be enormously risky to have Adem Bona as their only traditional big man behind Embiid given his lengthy injury history.

Grimes and Oubre aren't locks to get moved either. Grimes has the right to veto any trade since he signed his qualifying offer this past offseason, while Oubre has started each of the past five games for the Sixers.

Gordon is a different story. The 37-year-old has played a grand total of 74 minutes for the Sixers this year across only six appearances. He last suited up on Dec. 23, and his absence over the past month is not injury-related. In fact, he's not even listed on the injury report.

Even if the Sixers trade Grimes or he walks as a free agent this offseason, Gordon is clearly not a part of their long-term future given his age. He has presumably been a valuable veteran mentor for fellow Bahamian VJ Edgecombe, but the Sixers have Kyle Lowry in that role as well. Spending two roster spots on way-past-their-prime guards who barely see the floor is a waste of resources, particularly since the Sixers need more open roster spots.

The Sixers filled their lone remaining open roster spot by signing Bassey to a 10-day deal, although that contract expires the day before the trade deadline. That timing was undoubtedly not a coincidence. Once the deadline passes, they figure to convert one of Barlow or Walker immediately—before they face the Los Angeles Lakers that night—since they've already reached their 90-game limit of Under-Fifteen Games.

However, the Sixers need to free up another roster spot if they're intent on converting both Barlow and Walker, as longtime NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported. Gordon is the most likely candidate to get traded because he's the easiest to salary-dump.

Since Gordon is on a veteran-minimum contract, any team can acquire him via the minimum exception as long as it wouldn't cause them to violate any apron restrictions. Even for teams that are hard-capped or can't take back more salary than they trade out, it's easy to find an exact dollar-for-dollar salary match since anyone with two or more years of experience has the exact same cap hit.

The Sixers might look to flip Gordon as part of a larger deal that also gets them under the luxury-tax threshold. But given their need for an additional open roster spot, he figures to be on his way out of Philadelphia regardless of whether the Sixers can duck the tax.

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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