Given the current state of the NBA where the room to win has expanded more than ever before, it’s a safe bet to bank on most battle-tested teams going all-in this offseason. The same applies to the Philadelphia 76ers which, despite another early playoff exit, will enjoy and look to capitalize on their mammoth cap space and first-round picks to move the needle.

Thanks to the James Harden deal early in the season, the 76ers managed to recoup some much-needed draft capital for their perusal this summer — a big luxury for a win-now team in a period where aggregating draft picks could net any buyer with a highly coveted piece.

The 76ers are poised to maximize their draft picks this offseason via trade

Using your own draft picks to land an intriguing prospect or two would not be out of the ordinary in most cases, but the 76ers are much more likely to leverage their war chest of first and second-rounders to try and get into the trade market for high-end starters or All-Stars. Doing so just makes too much sense for a franchise desperate to get over the hump.

Joel Embiid isn’t getting any younger and who knows unitl when he can produce at an MVP level. Tyrese Maxey has already shown that he’s one of the best second fiddles in the league. Hence, the 76ers will be much better off going all-in this offseason. Here is one trade proposal that could picture them intrigued.

76ers trade for Mikal Bridges in this all-in offseason proposal

In this trade proposal recently dished out by Bleacher Report, the Philadelphia 76ers acquire wing Mikal Bridges and veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets for three first-round picks, including this year, in 2026, and in 2030, as well as two second-round selections in 2027 and 2028.

Bridges, one of the hottest commodities in the trade market, has been a puzzling keeper for Brooklyn. The 27-year-old has struggled as the Nets’ de facto first option this season with his efficiency taking a hit from his increased usage, and his age simply doesn’t make him a viable cornerstone for a franchise looking to become relevant again.

Meanwhile, Dorian Finney-Smith enjoyed another productive season in Brooklyn as their resident 3-and-D enforcer in the starting lineup. One of the better one-on-one defenders in the league, he will undoubtedly have some suitors given his reasonable contract and in-demand skillset.

Now, how does this trade profile for both teams?

Should the 76ers trade for Mikal Bridges?

Philadelphia will be shooting for the stars this offseason, and the franchise has every reason to do so. Teams with as strong of a win-now edict as the 76ers almost never open up the kind of cap space they’ll be touting this summer, and the East’s relatively wide-open nature only incentivizes them to keep pushing their roster (and payroll) to its limits.

Paul George is the name they have zeroed in on, but signing the veteran would immediately handcuff them and limit their roster-building ceiling. However, the same can’t be said for trading for Mikal Bridges, whose contract is much cheaper compared to the former’s expected price tag — one that could be in the max-contract range.

Bridges, one of the league’s perimere perimeter stoppers, is a perfect fit for nearly every team in the NBA and his strengths would only be highlighted and featured further in Philadelphia where he wouldn’t be burdened with taxing responsibilities on the scoring end.

As seen in his Phoenix days, Bridges functions at his best when relegated to a tertiary role as a play finisher so he can lock in on shutting down the opposing team’s best player. That would be his role with the 76ers, and having someone as Dorian Finney-Smith to help him out only makes this trade even more sensible if you’re Philly.

Should the Nets do this trade?

The Brooklyn Nets are stubbornly trying to milk the hell out of their Mikal Bridges-led team littered with starter-caliber players who seemingly can’t gel together given their overlapping skillsets. The result? A deflating season that would probably be replicated should they keep holding on to their roster currently on life support.

Bridges is a tremendous two-way player, but he is at his best when tethered to a role where he’s expected to be a floor-raiser on offense. Instead, the Nets are treating him like he’s prime James Harden, and he’s simply not that kind of a scoring and playmaking monster to shoehorn into a primary role.

It’s clear as day that the only direction that Brooklyn should be taking is to do the Oklahoma City/Utah/San Antonio strategy of strockpiling draft picks and selling high on their current deck. There’s no path for this team to be in the postseason while hanging onto their loose threads.

Philadelphia’s hypothetical offer of three first-round picks, while one of which could vacillate, will help kickstart a full-blown rebuild that they can later ameliorate through star signings given their big-market allure. But for that to happen, the must bottom out, and it won’t get any better than this.