More Trade Rumors: Sixers have “expressed interest in a long list of wings”

With the NBA trade deadline less than a month away, and the Philadelphia 76ers having recently gone through a tough losing streak, fans have been antsy to know what management intends to do to “right the ship” for this team on pace to win 52 games. A handful of names have been floated out in this past; our Dave Early ran through some possible trade scenarios just yesterday.

Now, we have an article posted this morning by The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, throwing some more potential acquisitions into the mix:

The Sixers have expressed interest in a long list of wings, including Malik Beasley (Nuggets), Glenn Robinson III (Warriors), Davis Bertans (Wizards), E’Twaun Moore (Pelicans), and Andre Iguodala (Grizzlies), according to multiple league sources. Most interestingly, sources say the Sixers inquired about Robert Covington, whom they dealt to the Timberwolves in 2018 in the Butler trade. I reported last month that Covington is available, and that is still the case. But Minnesota could have so many bidders for Covington that the price will be too high for Philadelphia to make a reunion a reality.

I remain steadfast in my belief that the Sixers should not be in the business of trading Matisse Thybulle away. With the Clippers looking like the winners for getting Landry Shamet included in the deal last trade deadline, I suspect Elton Brand would be reluctant to let go of a promising rookie wing two years in a row. So the first handful of names on O’Connor’s list make much more sense from my perspective.

In particular, Malik Beasley is a guy I really like for Philadelphia. He was a big part of Denver’s rotation last season, and the Nuggets would have lost one or two more playoff games in the spring without him. However, given the depth of Denver’s roster, Beasley has only appeared in 28 games this season, receiving 16.4 minutes per game, so he seems gettable for a reasonable price.

Beasley is a career 39.1 percent shooter from 3, and has shown flashes of shot creation even if those opportunities have been limited in Denver. He isn’t known as a defensive stalwart, but is quick enough and big enough at 6-foot-4 where he wouldn’t be considered a liability on that end. Beasley is a restricted free agent this summer, which the Nuggets could view as a positive, or they could want to get something for him now if they don’t believe he’s part of their future plans.

As O’Connor mentions, as much as we might desire it, I don’t think Covington back to Philadelphia can happen. He was the main piece in the return package for Jimmy Butler. He is still on a very reasonable contract and has a skill set any contender would love to have. The Sixers simply don’t have the trade pieces anymore to entice the Wolves for RoCo.

What do you think? Any of those names strike your fancy or is there someone else you’re still holding out hope for come the February deadline?