Why Philadelphia 76ers Could be Late to NBA Trade Party

The Philadelphia 76ers might avoid early trade smoke this year.

Jan 5, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Kenyon Martin Jr (1) looks on against the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

In just a couple of days, the NBA reaches a key date that many keep an eye on. As many players become trade-eligible on December 15, the date is often viewed as an unofficial opening of the trade floodgates.

While trades rarely start firing off this time of year, the smoke grows throughout the league. Typically, the Philadelphia 76ers are viewed as key players in the market since Daryl Morey and his front office are always willing to make a deal for the right price.

However, this year, they might be late to the NBA trade party.

‘The Stein Line’ recently reminded the masses that a key date for the 76ers goes beyond December—primarily because the assumed top trade chips for Philadelphia cannot be moved until mid-January.

"A desire to make a move or two is never lacking in Philadelphia. The issue these days for 7-15 76ers is limited optionality. A December deal is highly unlikely because two of Philly's most perceived-to-be tradable players — KJ Martin and Kelly Oubre — are ineligible to be moved until Jan. 15 since both re-signed with the Sixers at numbers north of 120% of their 2023-24 salaries." via The Stein Line.

Considering Kelly Oubre was an early free agency signing for the Sixers, he was viewed as a top priority for the organization after he thrived under his one-year, prove-it deal during the 2023-2024 season.

Free agent forward KJ Martin has agreed on a two-year, $16 million deal to return to the Philadelphia 76ers, Aaron Mintz and Andrew Morrison of @caabasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/mHOUEQJnAl

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2024

As for KJ Martin, his situation was slightly different. The Sixers added Martin just before November of last season in the blockbuster deal to move James Harden. While every player coming back in the trade landed an opportunity to collect some minutes under Nick Nurse, Martin didn’t have a consistent role.

When the Sixers re-signed Martin in free agency this past summer, his $16 million over two years was viewed as a potential salary-matching option for Philadelphia. Not many were giving Martin’s future in Philadelphia a chance really until recently.

In the first 14 games of the 2024-2025 season, Martin averaged 15 minutes on the court, with a handful of DNPs. Since November 22, Martin has appeared in eight straight games while averaging 24 minutes of playing time. He’s hit on 65 percent of his shots to average 10 points per game, along with four rebounds, one block, and nearly one steal.

While his recent stretch is a small sample size, the 23-year-old has received a lot of support as a potential keeper beyond the trade deadline. Since Martin has a trade restriction for at least another month, he has plenty of time to shift the early-season narrative.