The Philadelphia 76ers need depth to support their stars. This high-motor wing offers elite offensive rebounding and defensive versatility, providing the grit required to bolster a championship rotation.
Bleacher Report linked Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie as one the Philadelphia 76ers’ top trade target after their playoff loss, and the logic is easy to understand.
The Sixers do not just need more stars. They need players who fill gaps, defend, rebound, and create extra possessions without needing the ball. Champagnie fits that profile.
That kind of player matters for a Sixers team that has often felt too top-heavy. If Philadelphia decides to run things back around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George, it needs more role players who can survive playoff basketball. If it chooses a softer reset around Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, it still needs young, athletic wings who can grow with that timeline. Champagnie makes sense in either direction.
His biggest strength is his rebounding. At 6-foot-6, Champagnie averaged 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game this season, strong production for a reserve wing. His offensive rebounding is his biggest strength, at 2.1 a game; the forward is in the 99th percentile league-wide.
That would help Philadelphia immediately. The Sixers have needed more players who do the dirty work, chase loose balls, attack the glass, rotate defensively, and cut with purpose. Champagnie is not a polished shot creator, but he does not have to be.
Offensively, the concern is shooting. Champagnie hit just 31.9 percent of his threes this season, so defenses may be inclined to help off of him to stop bigger threats. But he still shot 50.2 percent from the field and posted a 59 true shooting percentage, showing he can finish efficiently when used correctly.
Washington should try to keep him. On a rebuilding roster, players like Champagnie bring effort, age, and functional role-player value. But if the Wizards decide not to re-sign him or make him available, the Sixers should be ready.
Philadelphia needs more players who make winning plays. Champagnie may not be a flashy target that will make headlines, but he could be exactly the kind of affordable, versatile wing the Sixers have been missing.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.