The Philadelphia 76ers already have more than enough offense after signing LeBron James, so adding another scorer who wants the ball all the time would honestly make no sense. Tyrese Maxey averaged 28.3 points last season, Jaylen Brown finished at 28.7 points, Joel Embiid still gave them 26.9 points, VJ Edgecombe scored 16.0 points as a rookie, and James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists at 41 years old.
That is a crazy amount of scoring for one starting lineup, especially because Maxey, Brown, James, and Embiid are all players who can run the offense or attack one-on-one. Edgecombe also needs touches to keep developing, while Labaron Philon should get some chances with the second unit, so Philadelphia really doesn’t need another guard trying to create 15 shots every night.
What the 76ers need is way more obvious. They need a guard who can chase the opposing point guard, a wing who can defend without needing the ball, and a backup big man who can start when Embiid is hurt. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope helps, but one defender can’t cover every position and every type of matchup.
Philadelphia is also super close to the first apron after adding James and Caldwell-Pope, so reducing even a little salary would help. These three ideas would improve the defense, save around $2.2 million combined, and keep the majority of the main rotation players out of every deal.
3. Kris Dunn
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Kris Dunn
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: Anfernee Simons
Anfernee Simons is probably the best offensive player Philadelphia would move in these three trades. He averaged 14.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists last season while shooting 44.0% from the field, 38.5% from three, and 89.6% from the free-throw line, so he can clearly score and give a bench unit some quick offense.
The problem is that the 76ers don’t really need that anymore. Maxey, James, Brown, Edgecombe, and Embiid are already taking most of the important shots, while Philon can handle some bench creation. Simons would still help offensively, but his role would overlap with too many players and his defense would give Nick Nurse another small guard to protect.
Kris Dunn would be the complete opposite, and that is exactly why the trade works. Dunn averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists across 82 games last season while shooting 47.6% from the field and a career-best 37.4% from three. Those stats aren’t amazing, but Philadelphia wouldn’t care much about his scoring.
Dunn’s job would be super simple. He would enter the game, defend the opposing lead guard, fight through screens, pressure the ball, and make life annoying for players such as Jalen Brunson, Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland, and Trae Young. That would let Maxey save energy for offense instead of chasing guards for 35 minutes.
This would also help the rest of the defense make more sense. Brown could focus on bigger wings, Caldwell-Pope could defend shooting guards, and James wouldn’t have to switch onto quick guards unless it happens late in the possession. Dunn wouldn’t need to run the offense either, because James, Maxey, and Embiid could handle most of the creation.
His three-point improvement also makes him much easier to play. Teams would still help away from Dunn before leaving Maxey or Brown open, but shooting 37.4% from three means defenders can’t completely ignore him. Philadelphia would only need him to make open shots, move the ball, and avoid trying to do too much.
The Clippers could be interested because they finished 42-40 and ninth in the Western Conference while ranking only 24th in scoring at 113.8 points per game. They also used the No. 5 pick on Keaton Wagler, so Dunn’s long-term role could become smaller as Wagler gets more minutes and responsibility.
Simons would give the Clippers a younger scorer who can play beside Wagler or lead the second unit. He can shoot off the catch, attack pick-and-rolls, and create his own jumper, which is something the Clippers could use around an older roster.
The salaries are almost identical too. Simons is making around $6.0 million, while Dunn will earn $5.7 million in 2026-27, so Philadelphia would save around $300,000 and turn an extra scorer into its best point-of-attack defender.
The 76ers would obviously lose some bench offense, but that shouldn’t scare them. This team has enough players who can score 20 points. Dunn would give them something they don’t already have.
2. Caleb Martin
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Caleb Martin
Dallas Mavericks Receive: Dean Wade, 2030 second-round pick
Dean Wade is a useful role player, especially because he can shoot at 6-foot-9. He averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists last season while shooting 43.9% from the field, and he has made 36.7% of his career three-point attempts.
Still, Philadelphia has other players who can fill a similar role. James will play a lot of minutes at power forward, Jabari Walker can defend stronger forwards and rebound, while Brown can move up a position in smaller lineups. Wade wouldn’t be useless, but his skill set isn’t fixing one of the team’s biggest problems.
Caleb Martin would give the 76ers a more natural wing defender. He averaged only 3.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists last season while shooting 45.0% from the field and 35.1% from three, so this trade obviously isn’t about adding offense.
Philadelphia would want Martin because he can defend guards, wings, and some smaller power forwards without asking for touches. He can stand in the corner, cut when the defense looks away, attack a closeout, and take difficult assignments on the other end.
Martin also has 45 games of playoff experience and started during the Heat’s run to the 2023 NBA Finals. He averaged 19.3 points in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, although Philadelphia wouldn’t need anything close to that. The 76ers would be happy with 15 or 20 solid minutes, a couple of open threes, and good defense.
Brown could still take the opponent’s best wing, while Martin handles the second one. That would keep James away from defending players such as Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Franz Wagner, or Jalen Johnson for an entire game, which is important when James is entering his 24th season.
The defensive rotation would become way easier to organize. Dunn could defend point guards, Caldwell-Pope could handle shooting guards, Martin could take wings, Brown could cover the best perimeter scorer, and James could move between forwards and big men depending on the matchup.
Dallas would also have a reason to consider the deal after finishing 26-56 and 12th in the Western Conference. The Mavericks are building around Cooper Flagg and Zaccharie Risacher, so keeping an older role player such as Martin shouldn’t be a huge priority.
Wade could help those young players by spacing the floor and playing without the ball. He could fit beside Flagg, Risacher, Dereck Lively II, or Morez Johnson Jr., while the 2030 second-round pick would give the Mavericks another future asset.
The money is almost the same again. Martin will earn around $9.4 million in 2026-27, while Wade is making close to $9.7 million, so Philadelphia would save around $300,000 and add a more experienced playoff defender.
This move wouldn’t be exciting, but it would make the rotation better. Martin wouldn’t need shots, wouldn’t need plays called for him, and wouldn’t complain about defending the hardest wing matchups.
1. Goga Bitadze
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Goga Bitadze
Orlando Magic Receive: Ariel Hukporti, Dominick Barlow, Justin Edwards, 2027 second-round pick
Joel Embiid is still one of the best two-way big men in the NBA, but Philadelphia can’t enter another season acting like he will play every night. He averaged 26.9 points last season, but his injury history makes a proper backup center one of the biggest needs on the roster.
The 76ers need someone who can start 20 or 25 games without making Nurse change the entire system. That player needs to rebound, defend the rim, set screens, and finish around the basket. Philadelphia shouldn’t be using James at center in random regular-season games because Embiid is out again.
Goga Bitadze would solve that problem. The 6-foot-11 big man averaged 5.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks in only 15.2 minutes per game last season while shooting 67.6% from the field. His per-36 numbers were around 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, which shows how productive he can be with more minutes. Bitadze isn’t going to replace Embiid’s offense, but nobody would expect him to do that.
His role would be simple. He would set hard screens for Maxey, roll to the basket, finish passes from James, grab offensive rebounds, and protect the rim. He wouldn’t need post-ups or designed plays, which makes him an easy fit beside players who already use a lot of possessions. Bitadze could start whenever Embiid is out, while Bona continues developing in a smaller role. Nurse could keep a normal center on the floor instead of playing undersized lineups for 48 minutes or asking James to wrestle with younger big men.
Orlando could listen because Bitadze wasn’t even part of the Magic’s Game 7 rotation against the Pistons. Wendell Carter Jr. started, while Moritz Wagner handled the backup minutes, so Bitadze looks like a player the Magic could move for more depth. Ariel Hukporti would give Orlando another 7-foot center prospect after averaging 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 9.2 minutes last season. He wouldn’t need to play immediately because Carter and Wagner would remain ahead of him.
Dominick Barlow would be the most ready player in the package. He averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists last season, while his energy and ability to play both frontcourt positions would give the Magic another option behind Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Justin Edwards would bring the most upside. The 22-year-old averaged 6.0 points while shooting 44.7% from the field and 37.2% from three across 64 games, including 12 starts, so Orlando would receive a young wing who already knows what NBA minutes feel like.
Bitadze will earn around $7.6 million in 2026-27, while Hukporti, Barlow, and Edwards combine for around $9.2 million. Philadelphia would save roughly $1.6 million and turn three fringe rotation pieces into one player who solves a very obvious problem. After all three trades, the 76ers would add Dunn, Martin, and Bitadze while moving Simons, Wade, Hukporti, Barlow, Edwards, and two second-round picks. They would save around $2.2 million and keep every major star and important young player.