Players Under 30-Years-Old the 76ers Should Acquire

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 25: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers is guarded by (L-R) Gary Trent Jr. #33, Precious Achiuwa #5 and Pascal Siakam #43 of the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter during Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round at Wells Fargo Center on April 25, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. | Retrieved from Gettyimages.

Players Under 30 the 76ers Should Acquire

After a disappointing first-round exit in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to retool the roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The media has been producing rumors of seasoned veterans potentially coming to Philadelphia, but many of those players are on the north side of 30 years old. It is possible that Daryl Morey would prefer to have his eyes set on acquiring players in their twenties this offseason. While some may be expensive, there are a handful of players that would help the 76ers win in both the interim and future.

Gary Trent Jr.

Tyrese Maxey has solidified himself as the primary ball-handler in Philadelphia, but he does not have a concrete starter next to him in the backcourt. Gary Trent Jr. is an off-the-ball shooting guard that can immediately bolster the 76ers' offense. 

Trent Jr. has five years in the league under his belt, but he is only 25 years young. Over the course of his first five seasons in the league, he averaged a respectable 14.3 points per game. Trent Jr. may never be an all-star, but he has already proven that he can score consistently as a third or fourth option. According to the NBA's tracking data, Trent Jr. was the league's best three-point-shooter when wide open.

Additionally, he offers elite athleticism that could help the Sixers with perimeter defense, which is an area they struggled with against the New York Knicks in the Playoffs. He is the type of players that could immediately start for the 76ers and become a prominent figure on the team in future years.

Cam Reddish

Tobias Harris may not have been the most popular 76er, but with him likely on his way out, a void lingers at Philadelphia's forward positions. Cam Reddish may not be an everyday NBA starter; however, he could be a nice rotation piece in the City of Brotherly Love.

Similarly to Harris, Reddish offers height at 6'7" and has a 7'1" wingspan. That size is something that Philadelphia will especially need if they fail to bring back Kelly Oubre Jr. While Reddish has never been a standout rebounder, he is still only 24-years-old and could mold into one. He has already played for four NBA teams, so choosing to play in a stable environment under Nick Nurse, a coach that has proven to value long-term development, could benefit his growth as a player.  

What makes Reddish an interesting potential signee is his history with the New York Knicks. He reportedly told his Knicks teammates, "I've got nothing for you," before being traded from the team in 2023. Amidst the rebirth of the Philadelphia-New York rivalry, adding Reddish to the mix would make for a fun twist.

Caleb Martin

For years, the 76ers have been in need of a "do-it-all" player; a guy that is willing to sacrifice scoring to conserve energy for high-level defense, rebounding, and playmaking. 

P.J. Tucker and Patrick Beverley both contoured that mold, but they did not arrive in Philadelphia until they were passed their primes. Caleb Martin, meanwhile, is just 28-years-old and seemingly on him way out of Miami. At 6'5", his size and style of play mirror that of Tucker's.

Martin would bring senses of grit and intensity to the 76ers, things that they did not demonstrate much of in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. If one were to rewatch the 2023 NBA Playoffs, they would find that the Miami Heat were a team that exhibited those qualities. Martin was at the core of the Heat's grit and intensity, and it brought them all the way to the NBA Finals. Not only would he bring those entities to Philadelphia, but he would be able to utilize them in a more featured role than he was able to in Miami.