Having started to show signs of life after a dreadful start to the season, the Philadelphia 76ers don't intend to sit on the sidelines leading up to the trade deadline.

Per ESPN's Tim Bontemps, the expectation within the NBA is that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey will be active on the trade market.

This is perhaps the least surprising development of the season. Morey is never one to rest when he senses an opportunity to make a deal. The 76ers made four trades before last year's deadline.

Considering how intense the pressure is on Morey and head coach Nick Nurse right now because of the Sixers' record, they almost have to make at least one move they hope will improve the roster.

Of course, the easiest way to improve things is to get Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George playing together on a consistent basis. Philly's big three has played a combined total of 33 games all season. They have only played together in the same game twice.

Even though it's a very small sample size, the Sixers with Maxey, Embiid, George and Jared McCain on the floor together have been a very formidable group.

It will be interesting to see how aggressive Morey and the front office want to be. They are $6.2 million under the second apron, so they could aggregate multiple contracts for one contract. If they made such a move, it would limit their flexibility by hard-capping them.

The Sixers also have multiple first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2028, plus the possibility for a pick swap with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2029. Those would likely be very attractive in trade talks if Morey wants to use any of them.

Since starting the season 2-12, the 76ers have won five of their last eight games. Their 7-15 overall record isn't very inspiring, but they are only 1.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the final spot in the play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference.