Dec. 15 is a couple days away, marking the point when many NBA players who signed contracts during the offseason are first eligible to be traded. Naturally, the trade machines are humming, and with the Sixers no longer Eastern Conference bottom feeders, the conversation has swung back to whether they should be buyers in the coming months up until February’s trade deadline.

As you may recall, Daryl Morey and company do have some fresh trade powder waiting to ignite. Philadelphia owns the least favorable 2026 first-round pick between Oklahoma City, Houston, or the Clippers, the Clippers’ 2028 first-round pick, and a first-round pick swap (top-3 protected) with the Clippers in 2029. They can also trade another of their own first-rounders starting with the 2029 pick, plus they own an assortment of second-rounders. It’s not Oklahoma City owning an entire decade of drafts, but it’s enough to entice teams and enter some conversations, particularly LA’s pick in 2028.

So they could be buyers, but should they be? I wrote earlier this week about a realistic ceiling for this Sixers club being grabbing the sixth seed and then seeing how things shake out in the postseason. It’s safe to say we would need to see a sustained period of health from Joel Embiid to even think about slotting Philadelphia back into the second tier of contenders. Right now, it wouldn’t seem prudent to make small upgrades to the rotation, like we’ve seen in past years with Buddy Hield, George Hill, Alec Burks, or Glenn Robinson III. Those are the kind of moves you make when your roster is right on the cusp, and a one percent improvement could put you over the hump. At the moment, no one thinks the Sixers are right on the cusp.

Additionally, there’s the problem of Philadelphia not possessing a ton of useful contracts to include in trades. KJ Martin and Kelly Oubre Jr. are brought up as the two most likely trade pieces, both making just under $8 million on potentially expiring deals; Oubre has a player option he may decline next summer, and Martin’s second year is non-guaranteed. However, both guys have been playing well for Philadelphia. Oubre has solidified his spot in the starting lineup, doing a lot of the lunch-pail, dirty work the team needs on both ends. Martin has improved into a viable rotation player, offering terrific rim protection from the forward position and finishing at the basket himself off cuts and in transition. Our Bryan Toporek recently wrote about how waiting to trade Martin during the offseason is a perfectly viable option. The better those guys play, the smaller the pool of trade targets become who would represent a substantive upgrade.

All that being said, if the Sixers do make a move, it should be for a player who helps them beyond this season. The front office appears to be thinking along those lines, as there was reporting back in October that the team was looking at young guys where their current team might not be interested in giving them big money on their next contract. It’s not dissimilar from when they made a draft night trade for De’Anthony Melton. In present day, Jonathan Kuminga was the ready-made example. Herb Jones seems to be the pipe dream for Sixers fans. I’m sure Morey and the scouting department have a list of guys they’re looking at if their teams take a nosedive before February.

While something may present itself that makes sense, I don’t think the Sixers should feel pressed to make a move. We entered the season thinking this was a solid, deep roster and I still largely feel that way. Caleb Martin has struggled playing through a shoulder injury and Andre Drummond has been more inconsistent than anticipated, but we’ve also seen Jared McCain explode to Rookie of the Year favorite status and Guerschon Yabusele make the case to be the fifth starter. The biggest needle movers for Philadelphia are going to be Embiid’s knee not swelling up and Paul George staying healthy enough to form sustained chemistry with his new club. No trade deadline moves are going to change those things, so Morey should keep the cupboard stocked until the Sixers are ready to push every chip into the middle.