76ers Should Go All In On A Lauri Markannen Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers enter this free agency period as the team who will likely dictate a lot of what transpires this offseason. They are positioned to be major players with a ton of cap space at their disposal.

After another early exit from the NBA Playoffs, losing in six games to the New York Knicks during the first round, the mindset will once again be surrounding Joel Embiid with the necessary pieces to go after an NBA championship. Re-signing restricted free agent Tyrese Maxey will be the most important step. Otherwise, the Sixers have their pick of the litter.

The team has been linked to several key pieces this offseason, such as Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, and others. One potential trade scenario worth keeping an eye on revolves around Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.

Markkanen will be entering the final year of his deal, with no assurance of him sticking around for the lengthy rebuild process that is taking place in Utah. The rebuild in Utah may take even longer than expected, with reports of not only players like Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton being available, but even a young and talented big man like Walker Kessler.

There are plenty of trade destinations for Markkanen that can make a lot of sense and the list is sure to be extensive. The Sixers should not hesitate to pull the trigger, given the opportunity.

Framework of a Markkanen Sixers Trade

Philadelphia should be able to pounce on the opportunity with ease

With the Sixers’ abundance of cap space, a trade for Markkanen should be a breeze. He is only set to make around $18 million in the final year of his deal next season. Depending on what the assessment is around Markkanen’s value, the trade could look something like this.

The draft pick compensation for Markkanen can certainly be argued depending on the trade market that forms for the 27-year-old forward. However, one would imagine that the compensation would be relatively modest as he technically arrives at any team he joins as a one-year rental.

Any team trading for Markkanen would likely want some reassurance about his desire to stay, but the Sixers, more than most, should be the ones to run the gamble on that scenario. Capitalizing on the small contract price that he comes at now and then re-signing him in the future is a worthwhile venture for a team like Philadelphia who are looking to make up ground on the Boston Celtics.

The defending champions will obviously have the conference go through them next season, there should be little to no reason to believe otherwise. Boston will be bringing back the key pieces that helped them dominate this year’s playoffs. The Celtics won the conference and championship using a top-heavy approach to their roster construction. The Sixers should not be afraid to do the same.

Markkanen Trade Comes With Flexibility

Philadelphia could still be major players in free agency post-trade

The gamble that the Sixers run here is what they do after the Markkanen trade. The deal would leave them without the ability to really participate much in the trade market any further, having surrendered their draft capital for Lauri. However, they can still go out and make a major free agent signing after the deal.

The team would still have a max contract slot available to them following this hypothetical move. The only problem for them resides with who might be available at that point.

There is a growing belief that George could opt in to his player option and request a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers. This could take away one of the major targets that would have otherwise been available to the Sixers.

LeBron James is likely to be on the board in free agency, upon declining his player option. If there is a way the Sixers could lure LeBron to Philadelphia, they would probably do it in a heartbeat. However, the likelihood of James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers is debatable.

One would venture a guess that James is using his free agency as a tactic to force the Lakers to improve the surrounding roster, in hopes of one last championship. However, if a championship is the primary goal, a core of James, Embiid, Maxey, and Markkanen could pose a credible title threat.

The likely option that may become the main focus would be the acquisition of a player like OG Anunoby. The health concerns are warranted with Anunoby, but when he is available, OG is a transformative defensive piece and a low-maintenance offensive player. He would theoretically fit the team like a glove.

Markkanen’s Fit With The Sixers

Markkanen’s Spacing Could Prove Invaluable

Envisioning the offense that the Sixers could run with the aforementioned players in the fold would be an exciting thought process.

Markkanen has proven himself to be more than a capable scorer during his time with the Jazz. Him running as a third option beside Embiid and Maxey should theoretically prove to be a great trio. The spacing Markkanen can provide with his shooting at the power forward spot should go a long way to freeing up easy interior looks for players Embiid and Maxey when driving to the basket.

Defensively, Markkanen is definitely not a world-beater. However, if the thought process is having Embiid and a player like Anunoby behind him, there should be more than enough support for him on that end to make it work in Philadelphia.

Ultimately, should the opportunity present itself, this feels like a maneuver that would be worth the risk for the Sixers. The team would still have to build a solid team to surround whatever core four they settle on. However, this would certainly be the type of move that could put the Sixers into title contention.

Stats are courtesy of Basketball Reference. Contracts and cap projections are courtesy of Spotrac and Fanspo.

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