With the less-than-ideal starts of forwards Paul George and Caleb Martin for the Philadelphia 76ers, additional talent in the wing room seems necessary to revive the season.
At 3-14, the Sixers essentially need a miracle to recover this year and make a serious postseason run. There is still plenty of time to catch up in the standings, but acquisitions cannot wait till February’s trade deadline. George is on and off the floor while Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. are struggling to truly mesh with the rest of the rotation.
Oubre thrived in Philadelphia’s lineup last season, but there’s been a bit of a step in the wrong direction thus far.
Arguably the most discussed forward in trade rumors is Brooklyn Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith. The 31-year-old 3-and-D wing is averaging 10.7 points on 46.7% shooting in 15 games. He provides everything an organization could desire in a rotation wing, but he simply does not fit with Brooklyn’s timeline.
If the Sixers hope to land Smith, trumping the Los Angeles Lakers’ offer is a top priority. LA could use Smith’s talents just as much as Philadelphia, which is why it was predicted by FanSided that he could ‘slip’ to the Lakers. Which team the Nets decide to do business with likely comes down to the draft picks that hold more value.
This factor greatly swings in the 76ers’ favor, considering they own multiple of the Los Angeles Clippers first-round picks in the coming years. These picks could hold great value as the Clippers’ blueprint for the coming years is quite the mystery.
Regardless of where he ends up, it’s rather safe to assume Smith will be contributing to a contending team by the trade deadline.
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