A Sixers Trade For Every Team In The NBA: The Central Division

Can this team withstand adding a Luke or a Kevin?

[photo: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images]

Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, and when that band was set to be lifted, Covid-19 struck. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.

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Welcome back to another edition of Adam Comes Up With Fake Trades For As Long As He Can Until There Is Actual Basketball To Talk About!

This week, we surpass the halfway point of our journey to crafting a trade for the Sixers to make with each NBA team. 

In case you missed it, you can read trades with teams in the Southwest Division here and ones with teams in the Southeast Division here. We’re sticking in the Eastern Conference this week, now moving to the Central Division. Shall we get started?

Milwaukee Bucks

Sixers send: 22nd pick, 49th pick

Bucks send: 19th pick

When I embarked on this series, it was not to come up with trades like this one. It’s fairly mundane, I know -- it even is to me. But let’s be honest: there is no other way these two teams will make a trade this offseason. They are in direct competition with one another for supremacy in the East and neither would be willing to give the other any player who improves their chances of winning a theoretical playoff series. Hence a trade exclusively involving draft picks.

Indiana Pacers

Sixers send: Norvel Pelle, 49th pick

Pacers send: Edmond Sumner

I promise, I will have the Sixers trade for someone you’ve heard of soon. But with another East contender in the mix, I couldn’t do anything major -- and TJ makes just a bit too much money to bring back. Sumner is a tall and athletic guard who can handle the ball, is aggressive offensively and grades well according to a few advanced defensive metrics. The Pacers have a loaded guard rotation and only one pick in the 2020 Draft, while the Sixers need depth (and, ideally, youth) at guard and have four second-rounders. 

And now, we can get to the real fake trades!

Detroit Pistons

Sixers send: Zhaire Smith, Norvel Pelle, 34th pick, 36th pick

Pistons send: Luke Kennard

Kennard was rumored to be a potential Sixers target a few months back, but those rumors died down as trade talks between Detroit and the Suns emerged regarding Kennard (talks that fizzled out on deadline day). In theory, Kennard is the perfect target: he is a young guard who can handle the ball and has a strong pedigree of excellent shooting. Isn’t that the perfect complement to Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid? 

Put me on the record as a Kennard skeptic as it stands now. Detroit is a team entering the first stages of a rebuild. Kennard is a versatile guard on his rookie contract who boasts the two key offensive skills a team wants, and has a skillset that is very much portable from team-to-team. So why were the Pistons aggressively shopping him? It could be predominantly one of two things (though it is likely both to an extent): 

Option #1: The Pistons believe Kennard is just not as good as his reputation suggests, and so they want to take advantage of his inflated stature by acquiring assets in return for him and avoiding paying him in restricted free agency in the 2021 offseason.

Option #2: Kennard, who has not played since December because of knee tendinitis and has suffered other knee injuries in the past, is a significant injury risk and the Pistons want to take advantage of a team whose doctors have not had a close eye on him.

If the Sixers trade for Kennard, it would necessitate a significant price -- given the Sixers’ state of affairs, an amount of value that would mean Kennard has to work out. But I’m not sure I’m comfortable pushing any chips in on him right now.

Chicago Bulls

Sixers send: Mike Scott, Zhaire Smith, 2023 second round pick

Bulls send: Tomas Satoransky

Satoransky is a player I have long hoped to see in a Sixers uniform, a tall guard equally capable of initiating offense and playing away from the ball. With a new front office in place in Chicago — including former Sixers executive Marc Eversley, the Bulls’ new General Manager — it would make sense that Satoransky, a free agent signing of the previous regime, would be available. Especially with Coby White and Kris Dunn already on roster, Chicago should be open to dealing Sato. And as we’ve seen across sports for ages, relationships between front offices are often critical to deals getting done. A former member of GM Collab being on the other line will make things more comfortable for the Sixers.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Sixers send: Al Horford

Cavaliers send: Kevin Love

Here’s what I wrote about a potential Horford-for-Love swap back in April:

“This is actually an interesting concept to me, because I actually think both teams would be down for a Love-Horford swap, even if it doesn’t exactly solve either of their problems. The Sixers would get someone who is a much easier fit, even if not ideal as a power forward. The Cavaliers would save some money in the short- and long-term while adding an asset or two and successfully removing the disgruntled Love from their rebuild. It’s unlikely because, again, all it does is slightly mollify each team’s concerns, but it probably is a win-win.”

In essence, this would probably turn out to be the Sixers kicking the can down the road a bit. Love is on a similar but even heftier contract than Horford, and there is a real chance that he would have similar on-court issues. But what if Love doesn’t have the same fit issues that Horford has had offensively? Sure, the fit would be shaky at best on defense. But the fact that the possibility even exists that he could be a more sensical version of what Horford was supposed to be makes him worth much more to the Sixers. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve actually started to like this deal.