It has been another season and another disappointing playoff exit for the Philadelphia 76ers. James Harden’s arrival was supposed to make them contenders, but his poor performance and Joel Embiid’s injury troubles have ensured that the Sixers couldn’t even get t the Conference Finals. And as expected, speculation has already begun about how Philadelphia can build the roster around perennial MVP candidate Embiid so that they can enjoy success going forward.
One of the biggest fish in the pond in free agency is Zach LaVine, who is an unrestricted free agent this season. LaVine has spoken about taking his time to hear out all the offers he can, and the Portland Trail Blazers have already been mentioned as a potential destination for the 2x All-Star. But now, ESPN’s Bobby Marks has mentioned LaVine as an option for the Sixers to consider on the Lowe Post podcast.
“It’s a loss for Philadelphia… if they think there’s another big whale out there they can try and go get…Whether it be a Bradley Beal or Zach LaVine. But you need Harden to take a significant salary drop… if you think that there’s a Tobias Harris taker out there.”
Harden is widely expected to pick up his player option, and even beyond that, there have been suggestions that the Sixers should just give him whatever contract he wants. The Beard has regressed a fair bit though, and after his terrible performance, especially in their elimination game, it’s unlikely that Philly has a lot of confidence in him moving forward.
Ultimately, LaVine will surely have a number of suitors for his services in the offseason and it remains to be seen where he chooses to go. The Sixers too, need to make a move that works soon, considering that with Joel Embiid’s injury woes, they can’t waste too many seasons of his prime not challenging for the championship.
