Getty The Philadelphia 76ers proposed a trade for the Cleveland Cavaliers' entire young frontcourt
The Philadelphia 76ers could ask the Cleveland Cavaliers for their entire young frontcourt, according to a proposed blockbuster trade by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey that would’ve sent away Tobias Harris’ expiring $39 million deal in exchange for Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and a future draft pick.
Such a deal would’ve made Allen a backup behind reigning MVP Joel Embiid. The same situation would’ve applied to P.J. Tucker heading to the second unit in favor of Mobley.
Cleveland’s front office likely balked at the deal after the Cavs secured the Eastern Conference’s No. 4 seed in the playoffs. In truth, such a proposal from Daryl Morey and the rest of the Sixers’ front office was likely more of a statement to executives league-wide that the price of Harris is steep rather than a serious proposal.
This proposal aligns with what Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported during a June 20 appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic.
“I don’t think anything is moving right now on a Tobias Harris trade,” Fischer said. “Right now he’s not a major player on the board around the NBA. Things can change but there’s nothing really to keep an eye on at this moment.”
Sixers’ Tobias Harris Doesn’t Address Mavericks’ Needs
Dallas Basketball’s Grant Afseth doesn’t believe Harris fits a need for the Dallas Mavericks — who was one of the teams Pompey reported had an interest in the Long Island native — and deemed the idea of a deal “challenging.”
“With the Mavs’ focus being to bolster their defense and rebounding, Harris would not be the type of trade target that would address those needs,” Afseth prefaced before saying, “Additionally, for any team attempting to trade for Harris, it will be challenging to send out enough salary the Sixers are willing to take back in a trade without using cap space.”
As Afseth puts it, a Harris deal more than likely takes the Mavs out of the running for their non-mid-level exception; as well as a chance to bring on a proven veteran on a modest free-agent contract.
“For the Mavs to maintain a pathway to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, there would need to be creativity in navigating a trade package for Harris,” Afseth prefaced before saying, “Losing that mechanism wold impact the ability to add a proven rotation player.”
Analyst Wants Bulls to Swap Zach LaVine for Tobias Harris
Bulls Wire’s Jack Simone likes the idea of the Chicago Bulls swapping out Zach LaVine’s long-term deal with the Sixers for Harris’ expiring contract from Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey; pitching the potential blockbuster for a rebuild’s sake.
“The idea of adding Harris may not sound ideal to most Bulls, but getting off of LaVine’s contract could help them start fresh,” Simone wrote.
Simone fears the Bulls could be looking to run it back with the LaVine-DeMar DeRozan-Nikola Vucevic troika after missing the postseason in 2023.
“The Chicago Bulls roster is solid, but it’s not a championship-caliber group, and for any team around the league, that should be the ultimate goal,” Simone prefaced before saying, “That being said, Arturas Karnisovas seems intent on running the same core back, but that could have serious implications for the future of the franchise.”
