Reorganize the Big Three! The 76ers and the Nuggets trade 3 for 2, and there will be a chance for the playoffs next season

The Philadelphia 76ers ranked 13th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 24 wins and 58 losses this season. In fact, the team officially bid farewell to the playoffs 8 games ahead of schedule and performed very poorly. This is also the team's first missed the playoffs since the 2016-17 season (Embidel's rookie year). It is also the epic defeat after he made a large amount of money in the offseason to build the three giants "Embidel + George + Maxi". Moreover, the three of them only played 9 games together, with a winning rate of less than 40%. They used 44 different starting lineups throughout the season due to injuries, setting a league record, and even relying on Development League players to fill the pit in the remnant lineup. Such performance will definitely make big moves in the offseason.

If the team wants to strengthen, they must clean up the lineup. Since George (212 million in 4 years), Embiid (250 million in 4 years), and Maxi (204 million in 5 years) have a salary of US$135 million, accounting for 75% of the salary cap, completely locking the space for reinforcement, making it impossible for the team to effectively strengthen. In this case, the team may abandon George. After all, George, who is 34 years old, has declined significantly (the real hit rate is 53.2%), which has become the heaviest burden of the team. Leaving the team is the best choice. For this reason, the US media "Fadeaway" World" released Paul George's potential next player in the 2025-26 season and proposed some good trading plans. Let's take a look at the specific situation:

Philadelphia 76ers won: Michael Porter Jr., Zeke Nuggets won: Paul George, 2030 first-round draft pick

For the 76ers, the team really has no better choice. Even if they take the first round pick, George will be sent out. So what are the chips you get in this deal? First of all, Zekene Najib showed a certain ability on the scoring end. He has high shooting stability and has a first-class scoring touch range. In addition, he also has certain excellent dribbling and breakthrough abilities, excellent defense ability in counter positions, can effectively interfere with opponents' shooting, and also active in rebounding competition, which can improve the team's rotation depth. Dario Sharic has comprehensive skills. He can easily switch between the No. 3 and No. 4, has excellent vision, rebounding ability and inside footsteps, and can improve the depth of the bench. As for Michael Porter Jr., he is talented, full of athletic ability, outstanding shooting ability, and can almost ignore the existence of defensive players. He could have become the top small forward, averaging 18.2 points, 7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. His shooting percentage is 50.4% and his three-point shooting percentage is 39.5%. His performance is still very good. He is still very young and still has certain potential to tap. If it can be achieved, the team can form a new Big Three lineup and will inevitably return to the playoffs.

For the Nuggets, it is difficult for the team to keep Porter Jr., mainly because Michael Porter Jr. is easily injured, and his contract renewal is not small. In order to avoid paying more luxury taxes, it is reasonable for the team to send him out. So what about the players? First of all, Paul George was once a star who performed well on both offense and defense. After playing the 76ers this season, he did not perform well. He was mainly caused by various factors. He averaged 32.5 minutes per game, scored 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks. His three shooting percentage was 43/35.8/81.4%. If he came to the Nuggets, he had a chance to rejuvenate his second spring. In addition, he also received a good first-round pick as compensation.

Overall, this transaction is a good choice for both parties. What do you think about this? Welcome to discuss it in the comment section!