As the Philadelphia 76ers, and the rest of the NBA, prepare for the Feb. 9 trade deadline, there are going to be a lot of names attached to each team and a lot of ideas being thrown out about what each time might or might not do.
The Sixers are in a position where they are serious contenders for the title in the 2022-23 season. Led by Joel Embiid and James Harden, they have a serious chance at winning a title with the talent that they possess on the floor.
However, there is one spot that needs some clarity and that is the backup center spot. Coach Doc Rivers has maintained that he will turn to his duo of Montrezl Harrell and Paul Reed, but realistically, it would help if everybody had a set role as they move forward.
One name that has popped up is Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid. He has taken advantage of the playing time given to him in the wake of the injury to Karl-Anthony Towns and he has garnered a lot of interest at the trade deadline, including from the Sixers.
Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Brian Windhorst’s podcast, “The Hoop Collective”:
You’re hearing a lot of smoke about Naz Reid. Philly’s another team that apparently has some significant interest there.
Now, what can the Sixers offer up for Reid? Matisse Thybulle’s name has popped up as both the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings have expressed interest in acquiring Thybulle and, per Windhorst, there are other teams that have inquired as well:
McMahon mentioned Matisse Thybulle. He’s sort of reduced. I mean, he was the first guy off the bench last year. He was their 6th Man and they’re so much deeper now that they barely use them. I’ve heard him attached to three or four different teams, the salary is low so we’re not talking about a significant thing.
The Sixers should probably go all in at this moment in time. Most would argue that the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks are more complete teams than Philadelphia, but the Sixers have just as good a chance as anybody else considering the immense talent of Embiid and the playmaking of Harden.
Adding a guy like Reid who’s averaging 10.4 points and 4.9 rebounds and shooting 53.4% to their bench unit would be a significant upgrade and it would fortify their title chances.
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