In the aftermath of an embarrassing second-round exit for the Sixers, fans and critics alike have taken to Twitter to talk trades. Most of these surrounding 3x All-Star Ben Simmons, who played a terrible series against the Hawks where his weaknesses were truly magnified. While I do think Daryl Morey makes a big move before the start of the 2021-22 season, Simmons is not the main piece I see being moved to improve the roster.

Now this by no means is me saying Tobias Harris is bad, it is actually quite the opposite. Tobias Harris played one of the best seasons of his career this year, finishing the regular season averaging nearly 20 points a game shooting over 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. His reunion with Doc Rivers did wonders, as Rivers knew exactly how to utilize Harris offensively like he did when they both were with the Clippers. Harris got away from constant dribbling moves in place, going to the basket for hard layups and falling back on a lethal mid-range jump shot.

Now why would Philly part ways with Tobias after a career year? Well for starters, the value for Tobias Harris is at a very high point, maybe the highest it’ll ever be in his career. The Sixers need to get with the program when it comes to having a reliable true point guard, something Ben Simmons won’t ever be.

If the Sixers want to keep Ben around, he’s going to have to move to the power forward spot, and that makes Tobias Harris an odd man out. So why not flip him at his best for a true point guard to make the Sixers better? As much as I loved watching Harris this season, you have to give up a player you like to get a player you love. Tobias Harris may end up being the scapegoat for the struggles and disappointment that was the 2020-21 Sixers.

While there are tons of candidates that could really elevate the Sixers guard play through trades, all packages need to be headlined with Harris. Lots of Sixers fans are calling for guys like Damian Lillard or De’Aaron Fox. To pull guys with that type of premier talent I’d expect the Sixers to give up Harris while mortgaging future picks and thinning the bench out. In the end though, a lineup with either two of those guys or a Reggie Jackson on the floor with Embiid would be absolutely lethal offensively.

I firmly believe this team will not be able to reach an NBA Finals until they seriously upgrade their guard-play, and to get that this off-season Philly may need to part with a good player in Harris. At the end of the day, this is about winning championships, and this is the best move the Sixers can make to put the team in a position to bring the Larry O’Brian trophy home.

Mandatory Credit: Doctor Drew Smith M.D.