For the fourth time in five years, the Sixers have come up short in the second round of the postseason.

Unfortunately, there appears to be far more questions than answers and another offseason of wild trade rumors begins.

The Sixers will be linked to every potential star player this offseason, which quite honestly should not be the approach. They have three core pieces: Joel Embiid, James Harden (sort of), and Maxey. They need to add the right role players around their stars finally as their lack of depth has hurt them in every playoff run.

So, how can the Sixers fix this issue? Let’s start with the trade proposal that Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes suggested. Hughes suggests that the Sixers offer Matisse Thybulle and their 2022 1st-round pick for Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort. The Sixers would need the Brooklyn Nets to defer the pick in this case, which seems likely considering next year’s draft class is better.

“Is that enough to keep the Thunder from laughing and hanging up? Maybe not, but Dort is precisely the kind of stout defender the Sixers need, and he shot a just-barely-respectable 33.2 percent on 7.7 long-range tries per game last year. Both Thybulle and Dort are in the last year of their deals, but the former will be a restricted free agent next summer, giving OKC more control than it would have with Dort, who’s unrestricted, in 2023.”

This trade makes sense for both sides. Dort is much more of a complete player, while Thybulle is the developmental guy that the Thunder seem to like. You factor in another first-round draft pick and it only makes more sense for the Thunder. Thybulle would be in a position where he could actually grow and develop while Dort is much more fit to play for a Sixers team with championship aspirations.

The Sixers don’t have many avenues to improve the roster this offseason, but Matisse Thybulle is the one asset that teams find valuable. Tobias Harris will be another name to watch as Daryl Morey and company assess all of their options.

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