Philadelphia got Harden's ability to upgrade the championship through a big deal, but at present Harden is in injury mode, and Embiid's number one substitute Drummond has been sent away, so that Philadelphia still needs to target the buyout market to upgrade and strengthen. The US media believes that Philadelphia will be an active team in the buyout market, and pointed out that Dragic and Lopez Jr. will be the two strong reinforcements who are most suitable for their pursuit, and will also enhance the team's championship strength.
1) Dragic
Once Harden officially plays for Philadelphia, Maxi will most likely stay in the starting lineup, and Philadelphia will need to add another point guard. A few days before the deadline, Rivers himself had already raised this point. Having a true point guard on the bench is a much-needed element that the Philadelphia squad has missed so far.
After being traded to the San Antonio Spurs, Dragic is likely to be bought out and enter the free market. The 35-year-old veteran has played just five games with the Toronto Raptors this season, averaging eight points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists before leaving the team to await a trade.
Philadelphia's second-team could benefit greatly from bringing in Dragic, who could not only organize the offense from a positive perspective, but also score points when needed. Dragic has 56 playoff games of experience, and Philadelphia is considering progressing in the playoffs.
Adding Dragic would be a daunting task as multiple contenders are watching him. That being said, if Philadelphia can sign Dragic, it will make Philadelphia a more in-depth championship team.
2) Little Lopez
With Drummond being traded to the Nets, Philadelphia found itself with a gap to fill in the frontcourt and they needed to find a suitable substitute for Embiid in the market. Lopez Jr. is a role player to bring in, and the 33-year-old has appeared in 26 games for the Orlando Magic so far this season, averaging 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.5 blocks per game.
Similar to Dragic, Lopez Jr. will bring playoff experience. Throughout his career, he played 36 playoff games for multiple teams. Lopez Jr.'s most recent playoff game was against Philadelphia last year, when he was still playing for the Washington Wizards.
Philadelphia need a bench center, someone who can replace Embiid for 8-11 minutes in the playoffs. Given his physical condition and fitness improvements, his workload will certainly increase once the playoffs start. With Embiid on the bench, Lopez Jr. was well positioned to help on both ends of the pitch.
There are plenty of centers in the buyout market that could fill Philadelphia's bench center position, but Lopez Jr. is a really noteworthy name as they try to help their superstar duo perfect their title race.