The 76ers built one of the most talented starting lineups in basketball this summer, adding Jaylen Brown and LeBron James next to Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid.
There is still one problem that Philadelphia can’t ignore: Embiid played only 38 games last season, after playing just 19 the year before. He was still great when available at 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, but the Sixers need a better plan for the nights he can’t play.
Yves Missi would make a lot of sense. The 22-year-old Pelicans center had a smaller role in Year 2, but he is still a 6-foot-11 athletic big man who rebounds, protects the rim, and doesn’t need touches. New Orleans asked for a first-round pick when teams called about him, according to Brett Siegel, and the Knicks were still trying to acquire him late in the summer once they lost Mitchell Robinson.
The Trade Idea
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Yves Missi, 2031 second-round pick (via Raptors)
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Jabari Walker, 2033 first-round pick (top-10 protected), 2033 second-round pick
Financially, this is also pretty simple. Jabari Walker makes $2.6 million in 2026-27, while Missi makes $3.5 million, so Philadelphia would add only around $0.9 million in salary. The Sixers are around $1.8 million below their first-apron hard cap, so this structure should fit, although it would leave almost no room below the apron.
Why The 76ers Should Do It
Missi only produced 5.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 19.7 minutes last season, shooting 54.4% from the field. Those numbers aren’t impressive, but his 2024-25 rookie season gives a better idea of what he can do with starter minutes: he had 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 73 games, including 67 starts, and made the All-Rookie Second Team.
That is basically the role the Sixers need. Embiid missed 44 regular-season games last year, and Philadelphia still finished 45-37 and seventh in the East. The roster is much better now with Brown and LeBron, so the Sixers don’t need their backup center scoring 15 points. They need somebody who can screen for Maxey, catch lobs from LeBron, rebound, and protect the rim.
Missi also gives them a much younger option than trying to solve the problem with another veteran on the minimum, as they did with Andre Drummond. He is under his rookie deal for two more seasons, making $3.5 million this year and $5.6 million in 2027-28, before reaching restricted free agency.
Philadelphia already has Adem Bona and Ariel Hukporti, but Missi has much more NBA starting experience. He has started 81 games over his first two seasons, and that becomes important when the starting center has played 57 total regular-season games over the last two years.
On a normal night, Missi probably plays 15-20 minutes behind Embiid. If Embiid sits, Missi can start and play closer to 25-30 minutes. That is a simple role, and it makes much more sense than asking Nick Nurse to experiment with the center rotation every time Embiid appears on the injury report.
Why The Pelicans Could Consider It
The interesting part is that New Orleans has already reduced Missi’s role. His playing time fell from 26.8 minutes as a rookie to 19.7 last season, while he started only 14 of his 66 appearances. A big reason was Derik Queen, who quickly became a bigger part of the frontcourt and finished his rookie season at 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists across 81 games.
The Pelicans went only 26-56 and finished 11th in the West, so adding another future first-round pick has obvious value. This isn’t a roster that should be turning down good draft capital just to protect its backup center spot.
There is a catch, because New Orleans has recently treated Missi as harder to get. The New York Post reported in July that the Pelicans rejected multiple Knicks offers and viewed him as an important part of their core, even after previously asking interested teams for a first-round pick.
That means Philadelphia can’t expect to steal him for two second-round picks. A protected 2033 first changes the conversation. It is seven years away, when LeBron will be long retired, Embiid will be 39, and Brown will be 36, so New Orleans would be betting that the pick could become pretty valuable. The extra 2033 second and Walker give the Pelicans two more assets, while the Sixers get Toronto’s 2031 second back to make the move a little easier.
Walker isn’t a major part of the value, but he can play. He gave Philadelphia 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 64 games last season and ranked well as a rebounder for his minutes. His $2.6 million salary also isn’t fully guaranteed until January, so New Orleans could keep him or create another roster spot later.
The 76ers Should Be Willing To Pay
A first-round pick sounds expensive for somebody who scored 5.7 points per game last season, but Philadelphia isn’t paying for scoring. The Sixers are paying for insurance.
They now have Brown, Maxey, LeBron, and Edgecombe to create offense, while their $58.0 million center has played fewer than 40 games in three straight seasons. Missi gives them a young center who already has 81 NBA starts, costs only $3.5 million, and can handle a much bigger role whenever Embiid can’t play.
New Orleans gets the first-round pick it was looking for earlier in the Missi trade talks, plus Walker and another second, while Philadelphia fixes one of the few obvious holes left on a championship-level roster. For a team this deep into win-now mode, that is a price I would pay.
