For the past couple of months, Zach LaVine has been one of the hottest names on the trade market. Plenty of teams have been brought up as potential suitors for LaVine, but no one has pulled the trigger yet. The Los Angeles Lakers were the team most heavily linked to him, with Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic even noting that he expects a deal to happen. However, the Philadelphia 76ers have also been mentioned.
However, according to Marc Stein and his newsletter “The Stein Line,” the 76ers have shown no interest in a trade for LaVine. And that could be for the best.
According to Paul Hudrick of Liberty Ballers, the 76ers are better off not trading for LaVine because of his contract and lack of defensive talent.
“But the Sixers with James Harden (not exactly a defensive savant) had the Boston Celtics on the ropes at home with a lead in what could’ve been a deciding Game 6,” Hudrick wrote. “The issue that night was not defense. Boston scored 96 points. The Sixers scored 86 and basically didn’t make a field goal for the final six minutes of the game.
“And if you’re choosing to be an optimist, look at the way all the Sixers have bought in with Nurse on both ends of the floor. Plus, LaVine has ties with both Embiid and Maxey. All three share a skills coach in Drew Hanlen, and both LaVine and Maxey are represented by Klutch.
“But here’s the rub: LaVine’s big contract and growing injury history make him far from a safe bet.”
Focusing on other trade targets instead of LaVine could help the 76ers maintain their offensive structure with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. And instead of going after another ball-dominant player, they could snag someone more comfortable playing of the ball.
