The offseason is now here as it has come much earlier than expected for the Philadelphia 76ers. After swinging for the fences to acquire James Harden back at the deadline in February, they once again fell in the second round of the playoffs.
This is now the fourth time in five seasons that the Sixers couldn’t get past Round 2 in the postseason. The Harden-Joel Embiid duo was formidable, but the roster is still flawed and that is where the questions arise about this team.
One of them is the bench unit and who is going to back up Embiid. In the Harden trade, Philadelphia had to include Andre Drummond in the deal and the Sixers then signed DeAndre Jordan to back up the big fella.
The Jordan minutes in the playoffs were tough and then there were times where Paul Reed played well, but he fouled too much. Therefore, the Sixers are once again on the hunt for a backup center.
In a mock trade performed by Bleacher Report, the Sixers call up the New Orleans Pelicans and move Reed and Furkan Korkmaz for the athletic Jaxson Hayes:
It’s no secret that the Sixers will go shopping for a backup center this offseason, and preferably one not at the end of his career, either.
Hayes should be available, especially if Zion Williamson can return to a New Orleans frontcourt that already features Jonas Valanciunas, Herbert Jones and Larry Nance Jr.
The 21-year-old still has plenty of upside and is a good enough outside shooter to keep driving lanes open for James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and others.
Hayes averaged 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 35.1% from deep in the 2021-22 season. He is reliable and he fits today’s era with his athleticism and his ability to run the floor as well as shoot the ball to open driving lanes for the heavy lifters.
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