76ers may improve playoff chances by trading for Raptors' $26.2 million stretch big man

Plenty of players will be floated as potential trade targets for the Philadelphia 76ers. The one qualm is whether the teams of those targets plan to trade any of them.

Larry Nance Jr. has been floated as a target for the Sixers, but the latest intel on him is that the Atlanta Hawks are keeping him, per Marc Stein. Other targets like Kyle Kuzma are gettable because their teams have made them available, which Stein also reported. However, the Sixers may not have a good enough deal to offer for Kuzma.

One potential target who hasn’t been mentioned is Kelly Olynyk. The Toronto Raptors' record is 7-24, making them the third-worst team in the NBA. They don’t have much use for a veteran like Olynyk, which could lead to a trade. Olynyk has not been mentioned in trade rumors since the Raptors traded for him, but that could definitely change in the next few months.

A trade may not necessarily involve any first-round draft capital. Salary-wise, it would only require KJ Martin, Reggie Jackson, and Eric Gordon to get a deal done.

Olynyk fits multiple Sixers' needs

The Sixers need more floor spacing and frontcourt depth. Olynyk addresses both of those needs.

He has never been a star, but Olynyk established himself as one of the NBA’s more dependable stretch bigs. He’s no rim protector and won’t win any slam dunk contests, but Olynyk provides matchup problems because of his IQ and floor spacing.

He also has experience playing for winners, having helped the Boston Celtics make it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017 and the Miami Heat make it to the NBA Finals in 2020. It’s actually been a while since he last played for a playoff team, but on the Sixers, Olynyk would be a useful asset in their playoff rotation.

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