If the second time’s the charm, the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers could agree to a seismic trade this summer. After losing Paul George to the Sixers during last offseason’s sign-and-trade sweepstakes, Philadelphia appears to have buyer’s remorse. As a result, they’re now rumored to have interest in packaging George and the 2025 No. 3 pick to make a win-now move.
It was previously suggested that the 76ers had their eyes on Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen if they were to make such a deal. Today, it’s been all but confirmed.
Jazz, 76ers Talking Seismic Draft Trade
“I do think it’s true that the Philadelphia 76ers are interested in trading down to No. 5 potentially if they can get off the Paul George deal,” The Salt Lake Tribune reporter Andy Larsen reports on the Locked On Jazz podcast. “I don’t think the Jazz are gonna take that offer, but I do think that’s an offer that’s been presented.”
Welp, got aggregated today.
I’ll say this as a point of clarification: while all of the possibilities I mentioned (Sexton to Dallas, LAL interest in Kessler, PHI interest in a pick 3/5 swap) have been discussed, they haven’t gotten into the serious stages to my knowledge.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) June 18, 2025
Larsen would later clarify that the trade scenario has “been discussed.” However, “they haven’t gotten to the serious stages to (his) knowledge.”
Why Make The Trade?
At its core, the hypothetical trade that Larsen suggests doesn’t see the Jazz moving Markkanen. Instead, it would see George and the 2025 No. 3 pick sent to the Jazz in exchange for Collin Sexton, John Collins and the No. 5 pick. In this scenario, the Sixers replace George with a high-flying stretch-big and relatively high-octane backcourt scorer. In return, Utah acquires a versatile, albeit older and somewhat inefficient forward.
With the No. 3 pick, the Jazz has a better chance of drafting a star-caliber prospect, like Rutgers forward Ace Bailey. In that range, they could also turn their attention to a starting-caliber wing like Texas freshman Tre Johnson. Either prospect could thrive alongside George.
In trading down for the No. 5 pick, the Sixers draft options don’t necessarily open up. However, they’ll no longer pressured to select the polarizing Bailey. With that in mind, they could still be in position to draft the likes of Johnson, Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe or Duke wing Kon Knueppel.
Addressing Joel Embiid’s uncertain future would lead to a much different route. In such a situation, Duke center Khaman Maluach or Maryland center Derik Queen could come into play.
Is The Grass Really Greener?
For the Sixers, the main question is why they’d believe in the combination of Collins and Sexton more than George?
Collins had a respectable 2024-25 campaign, averaging 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 39.9 percent from 3. Yet, George’s perimeter defense is on another plane. Collins is above-average when protecting the rim. Yet, there’s question of how much he could do so with Embiid, Adem Bona and Andre Drummond all on the roster.
Sexton could be in a similar situation. With Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain in the backcourt, there’ll probably be a minute crunch. Matters will only get more complicated if Quentin Grimes is re-signed. In a vacuum, he and Collins —who averaged 37.4 points per game in 2024-25 —may provide more than George. Yet, their roles may be reduced to a point that their impact shrinks to a significant degree.
Then there’s the fact that George is a nine-time All-Star that’s proven he’s capable of leading teams to the playoffs multiple times.
For the Jazz, the question is whether they’re willing to accelerate their timeline for an injury-prone star that’s on the back nine of his career. It’s definitely time to start taking winning games more seriously. However, not every pathway towards that goal is the right one.
© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
