After finishing with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is it the Sixers, not the Atlanta Hawks, are still supposed to be playing right now.
Instead, the Sixers are at home, trying to figure out how to get the missing piece to put them over the top next season.
The good news is the piece they need seems to be very much available.
Portland Trail Blazers star points guard Damian Lillard could soon force his way to a new team, according to a Yahoo! Sports report. Lillard is everything the Sixers need, as he can shoot it from anywhere on the court, can handle the ball and is the perfect point guard to have in the clutch. Pair Lillard with Embiid and the Sixers would likely enter next season as the favorite in the Eastern Conference.
So how can they get Lillard without giving up Embiid?
Here are 3 potential trades — all of which, of course, center around Ben Simmons going to Portland.
1. Ben Simmons, 3 first-round picks, 3 pick swaps for Damian Lillard:
Financially a trade that sends Simmons straight up to Portland for Lillard works, as Lillard makes just under $32 million per season and Simmons is currently at just under $31 million. In a world where Simmons was anywhere near the player Lillard was, a straight swap could make sense — Simmons is younger and the Blazers could talk themselves into building around him.
The issue is Simmons’ value, even if it isn’t as low as some think, has definitely taken a hit. If the Sixers want to get Lillard without giving up any of their young talent, they are going to have to pay heavily with draft picks. Considering the Nets set the Rockets four three-round picks, plus the chance to swap picks in three more years, the package of picks will not be cheap.
Pairing Lillard with Embiid, and keeping the rest of the core of the team in place, however, would be worth the picks if the Blazers decide they’d prefer picks over young players.
2. Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Tyreese Maxey and 2 first-round picks for Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum
This is certainly a blow-it-up scenario for both teams, as the Blazers completely move on from the faces of their franchise, and the Sixers completely swap out the core surrounding Embiid. For the Blazers, they get Simmons, two first-round picks plus Maxey, giving them four young pieces to hopefully jumpstart their rebuild with. Harris allows them to be a little more competitive right now than they would otherwise, and is a solid veteran leader to have in the locker room. For the Sixers, going from Simmons and Harris to Lillard and McCollum would be perhaps the biggest upgrade any team would make this offseason in terms of perimeter shooting — which is exactly what they need.
3. Ben Simmons, Tyreese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, 3 first-round picks for Damian Lillard
This is the top offer the Sixers could make, and if the Blazers turned down this package, then chances are Lillard won’t be coming to Philadelphia. This is everything the Sixers have to offer — Simmons, their two best young players and three first-round picks. Ultimately where Lillard ends up could be dictated simply by where he wants to go. If he wants to go to Philadelphia, chances are he will be with the Sixers. If he doesn’t, it is possible no offer gets the deal done.
In a world where the Sixers get in a bidding war, however, this is likely the best Daryl Morey could do to pair Embiid with the superstar point guard he needs.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!