The Philadelphia 76ers overhauled their roster this summer, but still have one glaring weakness. For the right price, the San Antonio Spurs could help them overcome their flaw.
No team in the NBA underwent more change this offseason than the Philadelphia 76ers. Adding LeBron James has that effect. As if that wasn't enough, Philly swapped Paul George out for Jaylen Brown and rounded out their depth.
The San Antonio Spurs, on the other hand, didn't really make a massive splash. Sure, they extended Victor Wembanyama and re-signed Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie. Plus, they signed Tobias Harris. Their core, though, remains intact.
Last season, the Sixers were 23rd in 3-point percentage, sitting at 34.9 percent. Adding Brown, James, Dean Wade, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a solid start, although losing Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre hurts.
If the 76ers want to boost their shooting, the Spurs have a low-cost trade canddiate.
76ers Could Make Trade With Spurs for Harrison Barnes
Barnes isn't a starting-caliber player anymore, but he remains one of the better shooters in the NBA and is incredibly durable.
This summer, he re-signed with the Spurs for one year and $8 million. He will be behind Harris, Champagnie, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Carter Bryant in the wing rotation, though.
All signs point to him serving as a valuable locker room mentor for the Spurs. He's a proven winner and seems to be on excellent terms with the organization. He has one ring to his name, and playing for San Antonio seems to be his best bet to win another.
Playing alongside LeBron isn't a bad gig, though.
"Barnes would be a welcome addition to a Philly squad not exactly teeming with firepower on the perimeter," wrote FanSided's Nicolas Pring. "Even better, he can still put the ball in the rack and create shots for himself when facing a favorable matchup. Another underrated part when it comes to Barnes is his availability. He almost never misses games due to injury, and that is especially valuable to a 76ers team that would love to have even more depth due to its injury-prone players."
Pring listed Barnes as a possible buyout candidate, but the Spurs are under no financial pressure this season, so that seems unlikely.
San Antonio wouldn't want to commit long-term money to someone in a trade, but the Sixers could offer someone like Anfernee Simons, or perhaps a reunion with Dominick Barlow, as well as a second-round pick(s).
Being sent off to Philly to play for one of the East's better teams isn't the same as being traded to a bad team, so the Spurs can maintain their reputation as a team that does right by their players.
Plus, maybe the Sixers can stand up to the Knicks, and San Antonio can play a small role in slowing them down.
