The trade 76ers must make after Paul George’s 25-game drug suspension

The Philadelphia 76ers may be in a pickle for the remainder of the season, as Paul George has been suspended for 25 games for violating the league’s drug policy. George has played well this season and was relatively healthy, which has helped the 76ers be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. The one thing that has helped the 76ers this season is their depth, and they’ll have to rely on that for the next 25 games with George away from the team.

With how they’ve been playing, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they decided to make a trade before the deadline to try to add a piece to the team, and that might be the best move. The 76ers also have some movable contracts on their roster, which could make facilitating a trade even easier.

The same names have floated around trade talks for a while, with the main one being Giannis Antetokounmpo, but there’s no way the 76ers try to get into those talks right now. You then have Zion Williamson, who the 76ers don’t particularly need.

Staying with the New Orleans Pelicans, they do have some players on their team that could help contenders now, but it’s uncertain if they’re willing to sell ahead of the deadline, unless they’re getting a pick in return (the Pelicans don’t own their 2026 first-round pick).

The one player on the Pelicans that the 76ers should go after is Saddiq Bey. After being out last season as he recovered from an ACL injury, Bey has come back this year and played at a high level. He’s averaging a career-high 16.5 points per game and has been doing his part on the court, even though the Pelicans aren’t winning many games.

If the 76ers wanted to make a deal with the 76ers, they could trade Andre Drummond and a future pick. Drummond has pretty much fallen out of the rotation for the 76ers, and maybe he could get some minutes with the Pelicans. He’s also on an expiring contract worth $5 million, while Bey has two years left on his contract worth $6 million per year.

This deal could work for both sides, and it will be interesting to see if the 76ers explore something ahead of the deadline.

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