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4 emergency 76ers trades to address their backup center problem
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- 4 emergency 76ers trades to address their backup center problem
Joel Embiid - Philadelphia 76ers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Philadelphia 76ers came out of the gate hot with three straight victories , including two over the reigning Eastern Conference finalists, New York and Cleveland. That said, center depth has once again become a topic of concern in South Philly. Joel Embiid is finally healthy to start a season, but the bigs rotation behind him is... borderline nonexistant.
Adem Bona was Philadelphia's primary backup center last season but he's off to a brutal start this fall. Plus, even on better days, Bona's hyper-aggressive style is typically better in concentrated doses off the bench. He's not somebody the Sixers want starting when Embiid sits (or gets hurt). On top of Bona's struggles, Jabari Walker, Dominick Barlow and even two-way center Tacko Fall are all hurt. Fall is expected to return soon, per head coach Nick Nurse, but let's be real: Tacko Fall will create more problems than he solves if Philadelphia plays him consistently.
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Let's cook up a few trades to help Philadelphia weather the storm.
76ers trade proposal for Thomas Sorber
Thomas Sorber - Oklahoma City Thunder | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Sam Presti has made a living off of drafting extremely well and stockpiling unparalleled depth - then flipping that depth for draft assets and doing the whole cycle over again. Thomas Sorber, OKC's 2025 first-round pick, missed all of last season with a knee injury. Now he's buried on the depth chart behind Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams and 2026 first-round pick Aday Mara. The Sixers should try to take advantage of OKC's abundance.
Sorber isn't healthy to start the campaign, but he's due to return (and perhaps debut) soon. The Sixers need size, but more specifically, the Sixers need rebounding. Sorber was an elite rebounding freshman at Georgetown (21.9 DREB%), with a high motor and great anticipation skills on defense, too. He's not going to run the floor or catch lobs like Adem Bona - and that's a useful skill set on a team with LeBron James - but Sorber can bully in the post and sling sharp, connective passes on the short roll.
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He is completely unproven, so there's some risk involved here. Dominick Barlow was a helpful player last season and once he's healthy, he could become an everyday rotation piece in OKC. That said, a smart roll of the dice could meaningfully raise Philadelphia's floor in non-Embiid games. Sorber has the chance to become a viable spot starter.
76ers trade proposal for Amari Williams
Amari Williams - Boston Celtics | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If the Sixers want to take a less costly approach, Philadelphia can always scour the market for players on a two-way contract. Tacko Fall is more of a locker room guy than a serious on-court chess piece, but there's no harm in rostering two centers with their three two-way slots. Caleb Love is redundant on this team with Anfernee Simons and Labaron Philon Jr.; Boston's Amari Williams, meanwhile, was a dominant two-way force in college, hoping for his breakthrough opportunity in the NBA.
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Williams is not the only two-way player worth a look for Philly - and it's fair to wonder if Boston wants to do more business with the Sixers after this offseason - but he stands out as a plug-and-play fit. He did a little bit of everything as a senior at Kentucky. Williams can hammer the boards, block shots and he averaged 3.2 assists in 22.3 minutes (24.9 AST%) with the Wildcats. He didn't play so much last year in Boston, and he's not going to offer a ton as a scorer, but he can do the dirty work when Philly's frontline thins out.
76ers trade proposal for DaRon Holmes II
DaRon Holmes III - Denver Nuggets | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
DaRon Holmes fits in the Thomer Sorber bucket as another former first-round pick whose early career has been impacted by injuries. Holmes was sidelined with a knee injury for his first year in the NBA, too. Upon his return last season, Holmes started in six of 25 appearances. The early NBA tape ain't great, but he was among the most dominant rim protectors in college basketball across a three-year stint at Dayton. He was also a great defensive rebounder (if not as prolific on the offensive glass).
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Holmes led his conference in field goal percentage two out of three seasons; he was also a career 35.8 percent 3-point shooter. He can get out and run the break, but he can also space out to the 3-point line, run two-man actions on the perimeter, and supply some connective tissue. On this team, the skill set fits like a glove.
Trading, again, a proven and useful NBA player in Barlow - who's an emergency center option in his own right - is a risk. That said, Holmes' rim protection and long-term upside could be worth the gamble for Philadelphia.
76ers trade proposal for Yves Missi
Yves Missi - New Orleans Pelicans | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
This is probably the boldest, riskiest and most immediately impactful option on the table. Yves Missi is currently starting for the Pelicans, but everyone on New Orleans is available for the right price. Missi averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 19.5 minutes across his first two appearances of the campaign. He's currently dealing with a bone bruise, but it's not viewed as a serious injury.
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New Orleans can probably squeeze a first-round pick out of Philadelphia for the third-year center. And that's a steep ask, since the Sixers don't have a ton of flexibility when it comes to trading draft capital after the Jaylen Brown move. If Philly decides to cough up a 2033 first-round pick, it would obviously come with substantial protections - at least top-eight protected, since there's so much uncertainty that deep into the future.
That said, Justin Edwards is not in the rotation for this team, even when shorthanded. Missi immediately becomes the everyday backup and a quality starter in the non-Embiid games. The Pelicans were plus-5.4 points per 100 possessions better with Missi on the floor last season. He can operate with power and quickness on the interior. He's a lob threat, a voracious rebounder and a potentially elite shot-blocker. For a team so focused on the here and now, some future sacrifice may be necessary. Missi provides so much stability in the backup center role, which Philadelphia lacks now more than ever.
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This article was originally published on www.fansided.com as 4 emergency 76ers trades to address their backup center problem .
