Key details of the 76ers’ potential bold trading plans

This NBA season has been a rollercoaster ride for the Philadelphia 76ers thus far. They have already experienced many lows as injuries have limited their Big 3 of Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey to just six games and 135 minutes played together. Despite that, the team is still achieving great success.

Tobias Harris has been outstanding at performing and excelling in every role Doc Rivers asks of him. He averages 17 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game as the team’s glueman.

He’s come up in a number of trade rumors this season, but it would be hard to imagine the 76ers parting ways with him given how important he is to the rotation. It is highly unlikely that Philadelphia would be able to get back a player who is a better fit for this team schematically and personality-wise than Harris.

But don’t expect the 76ers to be shut out of the trading market altogether. They will certainly try to upgrade the rotation if possible, but their number 1 goal for the rest of the season could very well be monetary.

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James Harden took a pay cut in the off-season to allow Daryl Morey to upgrade the roster without sacrificing a player like Harris. It should come as no surprise that the team is starting to get on track now that he’s back in the lineup. But there is still some more work to be done, especially if the team wants to come under the luxury tax rule Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

“The Philadelphia 76ers, for example, are just above the luxury tax and could bring in about $16 million if they sent $3 million into a payroll dump with Jaden Springer or Shake Milton. It’s windfall enough for Philadelphia; someone on the team can be sacrificed.

That’s a lot of money to save. Shake Milton got some minutes given all the injuries, but Jaden Springer is nowhere near the rotation. If the 76ers could find a team willing to take him on, even if it means making a second-round pick, they won’t hesitate to do so.

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Freeing up a roster spot would also benefit Philadelphia. They expect to compete, which means they could be players in the buyout market later in the season. Trading out Milton and Springer will not only save them money, but also give them roster spots to chase ring fighter veterans for their postseason push later in the season.