Sixers Rumors: Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal on Philly's Radar?
With Daryl Morey and Elton Brand running the Sixers' front office, any deal is possible.
Lately, all of the NBA trade buzz has been surrounding the situation with the Houston Rockets. As both former MVPs, James Harden and Russell Westbrook want out, several teams have been linked to the two stars.
The chances of the Sixers looking into acquiring Westbrook is slim to none. They have reportedly been in contact with the Rockets regarding Harden's availability. But Houston doesn't want to talk shop until Ben Simmons is available for a trade.
Despite what many think, the Sixers aren't willing to trade Simmons at this time. And as the Rockets are hardly interested in negotiating deals regarding Harden, the Sixers aren't expected to land Houston's superstar anytime soon.
Just because Harden's practically out of the picture, doesn't the Sixers aren't looking to make a splash in the trade market. According to a report from KRON4 News' Jason Dumas, Daryl Morey is "working on something else significant" for the Sixers that wouldn't cost Joel Embiid or Simmons.
Who could the targeted star be? Well, per Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill, Philly is one among many teams making calls to the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls. According to Goodwill's report, the focus of the rumored calls is surrounding names such as Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine.
Considering the Sixers need guards who are reliable shooters and scorers, Beal and LaVine absolutely fit the bill. Just last season, Beal averaged a career-high of 30.5 points-per-game while shooting 35-percent from three. Meanwhile, LaVine exceeded his career-high by averaging 25 points-per-game and knocking down 38-percent of his deep shots.
So far, there isn't a ton of traction for any trades regarding Beal or LaVine. While the Chicago Bulls guard has expressed frustration with his organization this past year, the new coaching staff in place could smooth everything over.
As for Beal's situation, the chances of him leaving Washington are quite low. For the last couple of years, Beal has been a popular name on the trade market for inquiring teams, but the Wizards never seem to budge.
Considering Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard mentioned Beal isn't going anywhere on Tuesday, the Sixers' chances of landing LaVine or anybody else seems higher than them landing Washington's guard.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_