The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to go into a rebuild mode, as it was reported that they discussed a potential trade for Paul George to the Utah Jazz earlier this month. With Joel Embiid being as injury-prone as he is, it may be time for the 76ers to get rid of both these veterans and build around Tyrese Maxey while they still have value in the trade market.
In this article, we propose that the 76ers first trade Paul George and then find a way to get rid of Joel Embiid’s massive contract. One of the key concerns that even a fully healthy 76ers team had last season was defense. Paul George (115.8), Tyrese Maxey (119.4), and Joel Embiid (116.5) all had a much higher defensive rating than the league average of 110. Paul George is a four-time All-Defense team member, but he is no longer a defender of that caliber.
Therefore, we suggest the following trade for the 76ers to start fixing their problems:
Philadelphia 76ers Get: Cam Johnson, Nic Claxton, 2025 No. 22 overall pick, 2025 No. 26 overall pick
Nets Get: Paul George, 2025 No. 3 overall pick
Paul George is owed over $150 million over the next three seasons as he signed a four-year, $211 million extension at the beginning of last season. In 2025-26, he is owed $51.66 million. Claxton and Johnson are owed a combined range of $47.3 million. Since the Nets are under the first apron, they can absorb that difference in salary, making this deal financially possible as well.
Why The 76ers Could Take This Deal
The 76ers’ primary problem of defense will be resolved as they get a solid young defender in Cam Johnson. Then they would have a strong shot blocker center on the roster in Nic Claxton, who could replace Embiid if they decide to trade him as well. And considering that this move is contingent upon the 76ers deciding to rebuild around Maxey, two young role players would be a better fit than a top-3 pick who would expect to instantly get the reins in the 76ers, which may not be fruitful for their culture.
Let’s look at what happened between the potential star prospect for the No. 3 pick, Ace Bailey, and the 76ers. Ace Bailey cancelled multiple pre-draft workouts, including with the 76ers, because he believed he had already shown enough in his NCAA career that teams know he has the star potential.
However, following his decision to cancel this workout, it seemed like the 76ers were inclined to move on and not pick him due to this attitude. It was reported that they would either draft VJ Edgecombe or look to trade that pick instead. They already have a young potential star in Jared McCain, who missed most of last season due to injury. But before that, he was playing like a front-runner to be the rookie of the year until his injury.
Therefore, to avoid a clash of high-caliber talent for minutes, the 76ers could rather cash it in to gain some roster depth with two new rookies instead of one.
Why The Nets Benefit From This Deal
The Nets have a lot of young talent already on their roster, and an overhaul of draft picks in this NBA draft. They have the 8th, 19th, 22nd, 26th, 27th, and 29th picks in this year’s draft. They will be looking to either combine those six picks to move up in the draft or trade them for a superstar to a young, rebuilding team.
By getting Paul George, a veteran future Hall of Famer, it will influence the culture of the young Nets team and help players like Cam Thomas and Keon Johnson to grow their game. The 35-year-old veteran still has enough left in him to contribute to a championship-contending team. If he decides that he cannot play with the Nets, then they can use their remaining assets to reroute him to another team and get a more promising star like Derrick White from the Celtics.
In essence, this trade would be a win-win for both the 76ers and Nets if they do pull the trigger on making this happen.
