The Philadelphia 76ers want a title in the 2022-23 season, which means president Daryl Morey and the rest of the front office have work to do ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
At present, the Sixers have a very good roster led by Joel Embiid and James Harden. Even if there isn’t a big deal before the deadline, this roster has a puncher’s chance of reaching the finals because of what Embiid and Harden can do on a regular basis.
With that being said, it never hurts to look at a possible deal to see what’s available. A mock trade from Bleacher Report has the Sixers acquiring Cody Martin, a good wing defender, from the Charlotte Hornets.
The fake trade proposal
- Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Cody Martin
- Charlotte Hornets Receive: Furkan Korkmaz, Matisse Thybulle, 2028 second-round pick
B/R on why the Sixers do this deal
Martin is battling left knee issues and hasn’t looked great when available. That just means it’s a good time for Philly to try buying low. Martin fills a bunch of gaps at both ends, and Charlotte might be skittish amid his injuries after signing him to a new contract over the summer. He has two years and $15.7 million guaranteed following this one, with a completely non-guaranteed $8.7 million salary in 2025-26.
Philly might prefer a perimeter player who is higher-volume from deep — and has a better track record of making them. Martin’s 38.4 percent clip on triples last year is an outlier compared to his career clip (31.8 percent) and came on just 3.1 attempts per 36 minutes.
Asset-strapped buyers can’t be choosy, though. This deal gets the Sixers under the tax and gives them someone who, if healthy, could feasibly crack the playoff rotation. Philly is free to walk away if Charlotte wants more for eating next year’s Korkmaz money. Sending them Thybulle to test drive ahead of restricted free agency is enough compensation. Especially when Martin’s deal isn’t looking so hot itself right now
Analyzing the deal from a Sixers standpoint
One can never have too many good wing players in this league. Martin is not a great scorer, but he did shoot 38.4% from deep in the 2021-22 season before being hampered by knee injuries this season. He fills many needs for Philadelphia off the bench, but the issue is what they have to give up to the Hornets in this deal.
Moving Korkmaz is not the worst thing in the world. As helpful as he has been in his career, it’s obvious he is the odd man out of the rotation, and he deserves an opportunity to play elsewhere. Thybulle is the hold up. Yes, his offense hasn’t developed as some would have liked, but he makes such a positive impact for the Sixers on both ends of the floor and Philadelphia should absolutely hang on to a guy like him unless the right deal comes along. Martin isn’t necessarily a guy they should move Thybulle for.
