1. Zach LaVine can be the 76ers’ James Harden replacement
Among the teams Charania listed, the 76ers immediately jump out as a potential trade partner for LaVine. Having just dealt away incumbent All-Star guard James Harden and subsequently losing Kelly Oubre due to an unfortunate car accident, the 76ers should be interested in finding an adequate replacement on offense for the right price.
Unfortunately, this trade could not be completed until January 15, as the players Chicago would be receiving in return currently have restrictions due to the deals they signed this summer and recently being traded in the James Harden deal. This deal may still be worth the wait for Philadelphia, as they’ll be able to move a lot of deadweight on their payroll and turn it into a genuine All-Star-caliber weapon for their upcoming playoff run.
If the 76ers stumble ahead of the trade deadline, they have the assets the Bulls would want in a Zach LaVine deal.
As far as ideal trade packages, the 76ers have plenty of assets that I’d love for Chicago to acquire. Paul Reed is a very interesting prospect on an extremely team-friendly deal, and Kenyon Martin Jr. could well be worth a look if Philly is unwilling to deal Reed away. Best of all, those future first-round picks in 2026 and 2028 look extremely desirable with the way things are going for the Clippers right now.
Unfortunately, I fear this may be the most unlikely trade on this list to actually happen. Although it might make sense on paper, the 8-3 76ers should be in no rush to start changing things up now. Tyrese Maxey looks to be on the verge of a superstar breakout, so taking the ball out of his hands to feed LaVine’s offensive output may ironically be a detrimental move in the long run. Again, this trade couldn’t take place until January 15 anyway, so Philadelphia has plenty of time to assess their team and decide if they need additional help in the backcourt ahead of this season’s trade deadline.