NBA analyst Bill Simmons made a trade pitch on his podcast that would Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the hottest name on the trade market despite not officially requesting a trade from the Milwaukee Bucks.
With roughly two weeks until the NBA trade deadline, no one is quite sure where Antetokounmpo will end up or if he'll remain in Milwaukee. Between the conflicting reports from insiders and the nine-time All-Star's cryptic remarks, it's impossible to know.
This means almost any team with valuable trade assets is considered a possible landing spot for Antetokounmpo, including the Philadelphia 76ers. Analyst Bill Simmons pitched an Antetokounmpo-to-the-Sixers trade on a recent episode of his podcast that would see a fan-favorite player on the move.
"Here's another one on the list that involves the Philadelphia 76ers, and here's the trade: it's Giannis and the Gary Harris tiny contract for Paul George, the 2029 Clips-Philly swap pick, and V.J. Edgecombe. I think they probably would not do this because they'd be afraid of how mad the fanbase would be because the fanbase has already decided this is great," Simmons said. "Maxey and V.J., sign us up, we're good. I think they say no."
Edgecombe was the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and halfway through the regular season, he's meeting those expectations. He is averaging 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on 42.9% shooting and 36.8% shooting from three-point range in 39 starts for Philadelphia. At just 20 years old, it's safe to say Edgecombe has all the potential in the world.
Simmons continued, "I do think V.J. Edgecombe might have a higher trade value than Giannis, as crazy as that sounds. On a rookie deal 40 games into the season, we can't trade him. He might be [expletive] Dwyane Wade. We're not trading him."
The alternative method of thinking for the Sixers' front office is, what if Edgecombe is a repeat of Jared McCain? McCain was having a phenomenal rookie campaign before suffering injury but has not looked nearly the same in his sophomore season. The 76ers opted not to trade him last offseason, banking on his potential, which has backfired thus far.
Antetokounmpo is widely regarded as a top-five player in the league, so it's tough to pass on that opportunity, even if Edgecombe is involved. A frontcourt of him and Embiid could mesh strangely, but it would also create matchup nightmares for opponents.
The odds the 76ers and Bucks even begin conversing about a trade surrounding Antetokounmpo are slim, but it's an intriguing topic given Edgecombe's play so far.
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