NBA Trade Rumors: Paul George Heading To The Sixers, Carmelo Anthony To The Miami Heat

One team that is showing some vast improvements in the NBA is the Philadelphia 76ers. After years of toiling in the bottom of the barrel, the Sixers are starting to show a little bit of hope this season. With the emergence of star center Joel Embiid, the Sixers actually have a fighting chance to make the playoffs.

And this is even without their prized rookie which they acquired in last year’s draft. Ben Simmons sustained a foot fracture before the regular season even began and is on pace to make his NBA debut hopefully before the post season. With him and Embiid, the future is quite bright for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Another thing which makes it exciting for Sixers’ fans is the fact that they have an embarrassment of assets. The Philadelphia 76ers have a total of 20 draft picks in the next three years. It seems like “The Process” actually works, but it just took an awful lot of time.

According to Fansided, one interesting scenario that could play out for Philadelphia is a possible trade with Indiana’s Paul George. According to the website, if the Philadelphia 76ers manage to land the first and fourth pick in the draft (which is a possibility) most fans would want the team to give this up for Paul George. This is going to be a bit tough considering that the upcoming draft is filled to the brim with possible game-changing talent.

However, Paul George is an already proven NBA Superstar. He is already up there with the likes of Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Paul George is an unbelievable scorer with good defense and could be a real compliment piece alongside Joel Embiid. Paul George playing alongside Ben Simmons could also provide a speedy backcourt.

If the Sixers manage to grab Paul George, their line-up will look like this: Embiid at center, Okafor at PF, Paul George at small forward, Covington at shooting guard, and Simmons at the point. That sounds like a beefy roster and, coupled with a lot of high-draft pick in the next two years, could make Philly the next big dynasty.

Paul George is one of the best players in the NBA right now. His ability and length gives him an unbelievable advantage on offense and defense. Paul George can slice and dice at will and pull up from anywhere when opposing team sag on him. George commands the double team all the time which will make life easier for Simmons and Embiid. Paul George can also provide some defensive intensity which the young Sixers can emulate.

So, why would Indiana give up Paul George? Because the team is not really competitive and George is going to become a free agent in about two years. The team is far from the days of Paul George and Hibbert clashing with LeBron James in the ECF and may need to start from scratch. Their biggest piece is Paul George and getting two potential high-caliber rookies might just be worth losing a superstar.

Elsewhere, news of Carmelo Anthony being shopped around the league has spread like wildfire. According to various sources, the Knicks have been soundly rejected by the Cavaliers when they tried to get Love for Anthony. It is definitely hard to blame the Cavs on this one, as they are currently competing and Love is actually playing great basketball this season. However, now that Anthony knows that he is being shipped around, it makes sense that he will now be demanding a trade from New York.

According to Fox Sports, trading Carmelo Anthony to the Miami Heat might just be the most sensible approach when parting with Melo. The site says that this trade is possible using Carmelo Anthony with Brandon Jennings and trading those two for Goran Dragic, Josh McRoberts, and Derrick Williams.

This sounds like a fair deal for both sides. Carmelo is a superstar, but his inability to play great defense and dominance with the ball is something the Knicks really need to part away from. Getting Dragic can move Derrick Rose up to the shooting guard spot while getting an additional solid big man in Josh McRoberts. This might be good for the development of rising star Kristaps Porzingis.

For the Heat, getting Melo will pair him up with a defensive-minded center in Hassan Whiteside. While that won’t take them into title contention, it will make the Miami Heat improve vastly and could make a run for a good spot in the playoffs next season.

The NBA trade deadline is just some weeks away and fans better stay tuned for more developments.

[Featured Image by Michael Conroy/AP Images]