The Sixers organization appears to have survived a watershed decision for the franchise and their MVP, Joel Embiid. James Harden choosing to opt into his last year and seek a trade is the best thing that has happened to the organization since he was traded for Ben Simmons. While the Sixers may be down a body going into next season, the team has been injected with some good ole` fashioned hope, and that may be the prescription that helps fans forget about the disappointing early playoff exits that has haunted the franchise since A.I.
Darryl Morey, once again, has the daunting task to find a deal that allows the Sixers to remain competitive, while having to unload a player whose best days are far behind him. Morey, whose greatest acquisition was trading for Harden, not once, but twice, will now have to trade away the star that fueled his meteroic rise in the NBA. There is one person on Morey's list that will make all Philadelphia fans lose their minds, if Morey can reel in the big fish, and keep Tyrese Maxey out of the trade.
Dame Lilliard, the unquestionable prize of 2023, is officially available to 29 NBA teams. After years of "will he, won't he", he has officially asked for a trade. The price to acquire Dame is at a record low due to the new strict, financially destroying, collective bargaining agreement, that the NBA and the player's union agreed to earlier this year. It's not all good news for the Sixers however, reportedly the Sixers are not on Dame's ultra-short list of preferred teams. It's unfathomable that Morey will be put off by Dame's initial cold shoulder. It took years to convince Dame to just ask for a trade, I'm pretty sure Darryl is ready to go all-in to convince him that Philadelphia is the only place for him. The big question on all 76ers fans minds; is it possible to aquire a player of Dame's status without including Maxey in the trade? If Morey is able to pull off a Lillard trade, and somehow is able to keep Maxey in the fold, Morey will become a 76ers legend in Philadelphia.
