NBA Trade 2018-19 Review: Philadelphia 76ers - Tobias Harris Deal, Fultz Era Ends & More

As most of the teams ended up being disappointing with every passing day before the deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers franchise was one of the very few that packed a punch. They made a bunch of player exchanges that have set them up for immediate success in the coming future.

The intrepid moves by the Sixers GM Elton Brand screamed of their mentality driven for a title push this season itself, and not any later. Time and again, he has let it known in public that the time is now. For him, the pieces have fallen in place, and this is the apt time to go all in for gold.

Although he might have given up on cheap young talent via future picks, many believe Philly's current reserve of skillset will last them for a decent amount of time, in order for them to not give any immediate thought to fresh faculty on the court.

Heading into the All-Star break, the Sixers were tied for the fourth spot in Boston on the East leaderboard, about to begin on an upward spiral. Let's run an all-inclusive scan of the deeds Philly's front-office committed before February 7.

#1. The deal that brought the Los Angeles Clippers' highest scorer to Philadelphia

Tobias Harris averaged 20.9 ppg(team-high) in LA.

The blockbuster trade that sent Clippers dynamic forward Tobias Harris to Philly at a steep future price was one of the highlight deadline steals.

According to ESPN's Philadelphia 76ers transactions,

Acquired F Tobias Harris, C Boban Marjanovic and F Mike Scott from the Los Angeles Clippers for G Landry Shamet, F Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala, a lottery-protected 2020 first-round draft pick, a 2021 first-, 2021 second- and 2023 second-round picks.

The Sixers gave up a bunch of future picks for a player slated to become a free agent this July in Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and Mike Scott.

"Tobias is one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA and possesses an innate ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor, while Boban and Mike provide valuable skillsets, size and depth to our team. All three players bring high character to our locker room and we are excited about their fit alongside Joel, Ben, Jimmy and our entire roster.", Sixers general manager Elton Brand said in a statement.

Clearly, the Sixers organization went short-term with this deal but provided themselves with enough financial bandwidth to ask Butler and newly-acquired Tobias Harris to stay for long when the times comes.

#2. The Markelle Fultz epoch draws to a close; Enter James Ennis

Markelle Fultz's Philly legacy is one of the more bizarre storylines ever.

The first overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft had a pretty rough road to trod down in Philadelphia. Marred by injuries, shooting woes, claims of being a bust and many more anomalies, Fultz's stay at the Sixers was nothing short of a tragedy, which eventually ended on February 7th.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN,

The Sixers reached an agreement with the Magic to send Fultz to Orlando for forward Jonathan Simmons, a first-round pick (top-20 protected from Oklahoma City) and a second-round pick.

Currently sidelined due to thoracic outlet syndrome and expected to return this season itself, Fultz is averaging just 8.2 points and 3.1 assists per game this year so far.

As the third trade deal right before the deadline, GM Elton Brand imported James Ennis from the Houston Rockets in exchange for the right to swap second-round picks in the 2021 NBA draft. The Sixers had to waive Malachi Richardson to accommodate the 6-foot-7 win Ennis, who was drafted as the 50th pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

#3. The overall effect of Philly's blockbuster trade run on the Eastern Conference

The Bucks and the Raptors are the teams to beat in the post-LeBron East this season.

The Sixers have assembled the best starting lineup on paper in the Eastern Conference but are still weak on the bench, as they ended up letting go of three valuable reserves in Mike Muscala, Landry Shamer, and Wilson Chandler.

The team would be expecting extended minutes from the recently-acquired 7-footer Marjanovic and forward Mike Scott, as they prepare for battle against the monsters out in Toronto and Milwaukee.

“We are in a unique position to contend now, and we think this trade positions us well for the postseason,” Brand said in a statement.

With the ailing Oladipo-less Pacers sitting on the third spot, Philly would be gunning to outrun Celtics(currently tied for the fourth) in order to topple the throne on the East leaderboard. Though still 6.5 games behind the leaders in the Bucks, the Sixers lineup looks sturdy enough to provide a deep and legit playoff run without a doubt.