Suns insider debunks Adrian Wojnorowski’s report on 76ers interest in Phoenix big 3
The NBA Trade Deadline was a busy day for a lot of teams, such as the Philadelphia 76ers. Following their acquisitions of Buddy Hield and Cam Payne, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that the team president, Daryl Morey, inquired about the availability of the Phoenix Suns' big three. However, The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin contradicted the report.
According to Rankin, there were no inquiries made from Daryl Morey regarding the status of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. However, it was true that those three superstars were all unavailable for trade acquisitions. With how much the Suns organization worked in making their big three happen, they weren't going to easily break it all apart.
Interestingly, Wojnarowki's report involved Morey inquiring with Lakers GM Rob Pelinka if 20-time NBA All-Star LeBron James is available, to which Pelinka obviously responded with a firm no. After this interaction, the ESPN Insider reported that Morey tried to make something happen with the stars playing for the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns, on the other hand, were able to land Royce O'Neale from the Brooklyn Nets and David Roddy from the Memphis Grizzlies through a three-team trade. Keita Bates-Diop, Jordan Goodwin and three future second-round picks were all included in a trade package for the Brooklyn Nets.
Meanwhile, the Suns traded away Chimezie Metu, Yuta Watanabe and a 2026 first-round pick swap to the Memphis Grizzlies.
As of now, the Phoenix Suns are in fifth place (32-22 record) in the Western Conference standings. The team has also won six out of the last 10 games.
Moves made by the Philadelphia 76ers during the NBA Trade Deadline
Be that as it may, Daryl Morey still made a great addition to the team with Buddy Hield by trading Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz and three second-round picks to the Indiana Pacers. Hield will be able to provide another reliable scoring option alongside Tyrese Maxey that can help the 76ers as they await the return of star center Joel Embiid.
Additionally, Cameron Payne was acquired by the team in exchange for Patrick Beverley and a second-round pick. Payne is also a decent backup guard, who is capable of making his three-pointers.
The Philadelphia 76ers are 32-21 and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, having secured three wins out of their last 10 games. With the absence of Joel Embiid on the court, stacking up wins has become a struggle as the team continues to maneuver its way in a challenging league.
During the NBA Trade Deadline, the 76ers were able to capitalize on the assets that they wanted to utilize and landed quality players that could contribute to the team's chances of winning ball games.