The Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the second round of the playoffs for the second straight year on Sunday night, as the Toronto Raptors ousted them in a thrilling Game 7 to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.
So, just where do the 76ers go from here?
It should be a very busy offseason for Philadelphia, which has two major upcoming free agents on its roster in Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. The general consensus seems to be that Butler will be playing his basketball elsewhere next year, and some also feel that Harris also has his sights set elsewhere.
What should the Sixers do?
Well, Fox Sports talk-show host Colin Cowherd has a rather interesting suggestion: trade Joel Embiid.
"My theory on this: You keep Jimmy Butler, you keep Ben Simmons, you trade Joel Embiid and get shooters. Don't overpay for Tobias Harris. You keep J.J. Redick."@ColinCowherd on the 76ers offseason plan pic.twitter.com/0nRE450zpk
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 13, 2019
The problem with that plan is that you are then essentially building around a guy who can't shoot in Ben Simmons and a 30-year-old who has injury issues in Butler. Plus, J.J. Redick turns 35 next month, so we don't know how much he has left in the tank, either.
Sure, Embiid did not exactly have a great series against the Raptors, and yes, there is a whole lot of concern about his knees moving forward, but it's hard to get behind the idea of trading him. As a matter of fact, if the 76ers are going to trade anyone, Simmons would be a better option than Embiid, as you really have to wonder how much better Simmons will get without a semblance of a jump shot.
Either way, Philly will be an intriguing team to monitor this offseason.
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