Sixers Mock Trade: How Mikal Bridges can come back home and fulfill his destiny as Philly’s 3rd star

With the offseason upon them, the Sixers are now focused on improving their roster in any way possible to better support Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Daryl Morey, the President of Basketball Operations, has expressed a desire to bring in a wing player capable of making a significant impact in the playoffs, and he has several potential routes to achieve this goal.

From Jimmy Butler, Paul George, Brandon Ingram, Kevin Durant, and even Lebron James, the 76ers have been linked to every name you could imagine. With $55 million in cap space and the potential to create up to $65 million in space, they have a ton of maneuvering they could do. But there’s one player that would be especially worthwhile to visit via trade: Mikal Bridges. 

After drafting him with the 10th overall pick, the Sixers made a notorious draft day move by trading Mikal Bridges to the Suns in exchange for Zhaire Smith and a 2021 first-round pick. This pick was eventually included in the deal with the Clippers for Tobias Harris.

Sixers-Nets Mock Trade

Bleacher Report posted a Mikal Bridges to the Sixers trade 👀 pic.twitter.com/rfdeWxmfIX

— Aidan LaPorta (@AidanLaPorta69) May 9, 2024

Daryl Morey’s priority should be securing a player like Bridges to complement Joel Embiid and Maxey. Bridges is arguably the most durable player in the league, having played in all 82 games in each of the last three seasons and averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists over 82 games this past season. His exceptional defense and efficiency in 3-point shooting make him an ideal fit as the starting small forward for the Sixers.

Bridges would be a perfect fit alongside Embiid and Maxey. He embodies the ideal qualities of a 3-and-D player that any championship contender would covet. His defensive skills are not just good, they are exceptional. He can match up against the opponent’s top players, providing a strong defensive backbone to the team. Currently miscast as the primary option for the Nets, Bridges would excel as a third option thanks to his elite shooting from beyond the arc. And, like I said, his remarkable durability makes him a perfect fit for the Sixers.

What also makes Bridges the most intriguing trade candidate is his contract situation. He will be owed around $24 Million in the last two years of his deal. Which is much lower than the nearly $40+ million a year that guys like George, Lebron, and other star-free agents would be looking to make. For example, if they were to trade for Butler, they would be paying him $48 million this coming season. 

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Acquiring Finney-Smith would be a solid move in its own right as well. With the likelihood of Tobias Harris leaving in free agency, Finney-Smith could seamlessly take over the power forward position. In the 2023-24 season with the Nets, he averaged 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds, shooting 34.8% from beyond the arc. Finney-Smith also brings valuable playoff experience, having been a starter for the 2022 Dallas Mavericks team that advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

While the Sixers are surrendering a lot of draft capital in this mock trade, it’s the best scenario for them. They are finally getting a younger wing player who projects to be a perfect third option—one that also doesn’t handicap their ability to fill out the rest of the roster with helpful role players which always seem to be lacking. It seems they’ve always overpaid for players, whether it was Tobias Harris, Al Horford, James Harden, or even the original package that only got them a rental of Jimmy Butler.