1 player 76ers must trade in 2024 NBA offseason

The Sixers don’t have to trade Reed this summer if they don’t want to. He’s a solid backup center who is beloved by the fanbase. His $7.7 million price tag next season is more than reasonable for that position. Reed has made strides defensively throughout his career, but he could still stand to improve on that side of the ball.

Despite his improvements, the Sixers still get lambasted in the minutes Embiid doesn’t play. That was once again the case in their first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks. Philadelphia was +46 in the 249 minutes Embiid was on the floor and -47 in the 44 minutes he sat, per NBA.com/stats. That’s simply inexcusable.

Reed is not entirely to blame for that massive gap. This has been a problem for Philadelphia since Embiid arrived in the City of Brotherly Love no matter who else has been around him. However, Reed is the one who is tasked with keeping this team afloat whenever the former MVP gets his rest. The Sixers simply can’t fall apart in those minutes like they did in this series.

There aren’t a ton of available bigs who would be considered both upgrades over Reed and attainable. Isaiah Hartenstein and Nic Claxton are poised to become free agents, but both are likely out of Philadelphia’s price range in the event they go after stars. Jonas Valanciunas or Xavier Tillman stand out as other potential free agent options that could be considered realistic for them to acquire.

If the Sixers wanted to move on from Reed, they could do so with how his contract is set up. The offer sheet he signed with the Utah Jazz last offseason included funky stipulations regarding his guaranteed money in future seasons. The contract states that Reed’s salary for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 would’ve been fully guaranteed if the Sixers won their first-round playoff series.

Well, they didn’t accomplish that goal. Now Reed has to wait until January 10th, 2025 for next season’s salary to become fully guaranteed. That gives Philadelphia flexibility between now and then. Keeping him is an option. Waiving him and saving that money is another. Or, the Sixers could trade him.

Trading Reed could allow the Sixers to attain some draft capital for a team looking for a backup center of their own or a team looking to shed some salary or duck under the luxury tax. They could trade for Reed’s contract, waive him and then wipe the slate clean.

It’s a nifty tool for Philadelphia to have to help with their offseason plans. Reed has been a fine player for them, but it isn’t a lock that he remains with the team after the offseason. It will be worth watching what the Sixers do with him in the summer.