National Basketball Association

Should the Sixers Trade Sergio Rodriguez to a contender?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:42 p.m. ET

Fansided, Matty Breisch/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Is it time for the Philadelphia 76ers to unload a proven veteran playmaker on an expiring contract for a piece with upside?

Sergio Rodriguez has had to follow a long and winding road to becoming a Philadelphia 76ers point guard. After a few years of riding the bench for various NBA squads in the late 2000s, Rodriquez became a perennial All-Star, and EuroLeague MVP for Real Madrid Spain, his hometown team. While he could have stayed in Spain and continued his international dominance, he instead chose to follow the life changing money of the NBA’s new TV deal, signing an eight million dollar one-year deal with the 76ers.

In his first season with the Sixers, Rodriguez has already started more games at point guard (30) then in his last five NBA seasons combined (22). His 3 point percentage (35.8 percent) is also vastly above his career average (31.6 percent). Not only is Sergio having arguably his best statistical season as an NBA player, but he also brings veteran leadership to one of the NBA’s youngest teams.

With such vast improvements in his overall game, why on earth would the 76ers consider trading him?

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Age

Sergio Rodriguez is 30 years old and playing on a one year deal. While it is possible that he could re-sign with the Sixers this offseason, it is also entirely possible that he parlays this season’s tape into a spot on a playoff team, looking for wily vet to run their second unit.

As good as he’s played this season, it’s hard to imagine Rodriquez as a contributor for the Sixers when they begin their serious playoff push in 2-3 years. Rodriguez has to realize that his NBA career is fleeting, and if he wants to return to Madrid with a ring, this offseason may be his last chance to latch on to a contender.

Philadelphia Youth Movement

It should come as no surprise that the 76ers are one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon. Building around a young nucleus of talent is imperative to long term success in sports, and the Sixers shotgun approach to acquiring young talent is starting to pay major dividends.

While the team does need to add veterans to this nucleus in order to be among the NBA’s best, giving a long term deal to an over 30 year old point guard may not be the best allocation of the team’s resources. Though he may cost more, investing in a point guard like Jrue Holiday, who is only 26, makes much more sense than one who will be out of his prime when the team is ready to contend.

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sport

T.J. McConnell

T.J. McConnell’s emergence as a quality point guard may be Philadelphia’s worst kept secret. So far this season the 76ers have a winning record with T.J. starting. To put that into perspective, the last point guard to have a winning record as a starter for the Sixers is Jrue Holiday, who last played for the Sixers in 2013. When Rodriguez was sidelined with an injury to start 2017, McConnell flourished as a starter, increasing his points per game, shooting efficiency and assists numbers (including a 17-assist game). McConnell simply deserves to get more playing time, and with the return of Ben Simmons that playing time may come at the expense of Rodriquez.

Ben Simmons

Brett Brown has already made it abundantly clear that when he is healthy, Ben Simmons will be the point guard for the 76ers. Simply put, Simmons is an elite passer and a true floor general in a 6-10 body. His emergence will cut the current point guard rotations minutes easily in half, and if the last 10 games are any indication, the Sixers may favor giving playing time to McConnell over Rodriquez. Trading Rodriguez now would free up minutes for McConnell once Simmons returns, and help to acquire an asset to assist Simmons development.

Chasson Randle

After playing on two 10-day contracts this year, the 76ers rewarded Randle’s efforts with a 3-year partially guaranteed contract. Though he has only appeared in a handful of games, the Stanford graduate has already notched his first game with double-digit scoring, and looks like a player who could develop into a solid bench combo guard.

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s no secret that the Cavaliers are looking for a point guard to back up Kyrie, just ask LeBron James. The Cavs have basically traded away all of their draft picks for the remainder of the decade, but they do have a few pieces that could potentially entice the Sixers in exchange for Rodriguez. The Cavaliers recently attempted to trade for T.J. McConnell, but Rodriquez may prove to be a better fit for their short term goal of winning the 2017 NBA Championship.

According to reports from Brad Sullivan of Cavaliers Nation, the Cavs could be willing to trade Iman Shumpert for a backup point guard. Shumpert’s statistics have been up and down as a shooter in the NBA, but his defense has consistently been his calling card throughout his career.

He is also hyper-athletic and only 26, making him an ideal piece to build upon in the long term. Brett Brown is first and foremost a defensive coach, and a player like Shumpert, who is currently in year two of a four year, $40 million contract, could be an immediate upgrade over Robert Covington in the short term, and has the potential to develop into an athletic 3-and-D wing with the addition of a more consistent 3-point shot. A straight trade of Rodriquez for Shumpert would work according to the ESPN.com NBA trade tracker, but in reality, the 76ers would probably need to include at least a second round pick, or the rights to an international player to sweeten the deal, both of which they have plenty of.

Final Verdict

Having Sergio Rodriguez on the 76ers makes them a better team. Rodriguez gives the team a veteran presence at point, a willing shooter and a crafty passer for the 2016-2017 season, but little to no value to the team past that. While the Sixers “trust the process” days are firmly in the rear view, getting an asset for a player who won’t be with the team next year is definitely something to consider.

Once Ben Simmons starts his season, Rodriguez’s value simply isn’t as high as an athletic wing prospect, or even a highly protected draft pick. Trading Rodriquez is surely a risk until Simmons proves healthy, but the Sixers simply aren’t a playoff team this season, regardless of who they play at point guard. Even if T.J. McConnell were to go down with an injury, having Rodriguez on the team isn’t going to win many more games than if the team were to sign a player like Tony Wroten or Nate Robinson off the street. The Sixers still need to build for the future, and Rodriguez simply isn’t a part of that.