The Philadelphia 76ers did not make the playoffs during the 2025 season. Injuries forced the Sixers to finish with the fifth-worst record in the NBA. However, multiple Sixers alumni were on playoff teams.
Among them were Jrue Holiday and Tobias Harris, both of whom played for the Sixers for multiple years. Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz floated a three-way trade between the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and Brooklyn Nets that would put Holiday and Harris on different teams. He proposed the following swap:
Celtics Receive: Isaiah Stewart
Pistons Receive: Holiday, Cam Johnson
Nets Receive: Harris, Sam Hauser, Marcus Sasser, 2026 first-round pick (top-five protected via Detroit)
Swartz explained that the Celtics would trade Holiday primarily to save money, as they want to get below the NBA’s second tax apron, but also explained why the Pistons would want him.
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“Holiday is the perfect veteran to add to this young core and is still a very good defender who averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists this season,” Swartz wrote.
The Pistons just came off their best season in years. While the New York Knicks may have eliminated them in the first round, the Pistons should capitalize on their promise. Swartz explained why the Nets would take Harris.
“Both Harris and Hauser can be flipped to contenders in the offseason or at the trade deadline for additional draft capital,” Swartz wrote.
Holiday played for the Sixers from 2009 to 2013, making the All-Star game in his last season with them. Harris played for the Sixers from 2019 to 2024, helping the Sixers make the playoffs every year. The Sixers alumni played a role in how their respective teams got as far as they did this season.
Whether one or both are playing for a different team could impact the Eastern Conference playoff race in 2026.
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