PHILADELPHIA — The trade deadline in the NBA is on Thursday and now is the time when rumors will be flying as teams make an effort to load up for a run at the championship or for financial reasons and whatnot.

The Philadelphia 76ers are no different. The Sixers are having a better-than-expected season as Joel Embiid has surged back into star conversations and Tyrese Maxey has been phenomenal.

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With that being said, there is always the possibility of a trade. President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has never been one to shy away from a deal, and a name that has popped up a lot is Kelly Oubre Jr. as there is a school of thought that the Sixers will want to get below the luxury tax.

With Paul George suspended 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy, the Sixers received a $5.8 million luxury tax credit. That means they are only $1.3 million above the tax now instead of the $7 million they originally were, but Oubre’s $8 million salary could still be traded.

“No, but it does kind of—yeah,” Oubre said on if the rumors bother him. “It does kind of stink a little bit to have a contract that is easily, like, washable, you would say. So, I’m putting in the work, showing up every day, showing what I mean to this league and to this team, and hopefully, I can not be in this position again, but godspeed.”

With that being said, Oubre is going to fill an important role for Philadelphia now with George suspended. A lot of the shots that went to George will now go to Oubre as he looks to provide the perimeter scoring next to Embiid and Maxey that will be needed going forward.

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“I show up every day to work, do the same steps to prepare, whatever comes with the game, I’ll take it, and I just try to stay even keeled through everything, because it’s an up and down season,” Oubre explained. “I stand with my brother. Whatever he needs, he can reach out to me, and we love him, and we’ll be with him throughout this whole process.”

With that being said, while Oubre is going to be the one getting a majority of George’s shots, he knows there are other pieces on this team that can step up and help. He wants to highlight the rest of the roster as well.

“At the end of the day, man, any given night, we have a team that people can show up and put points in the board, and be key contributors to winning,” he explained. “I just want to be a key contributor to winning. Whether my role be what it was or what it is. I just try to take everything with grace and just try to take the proper steps to be prepared for anything. At the end of the day, man, I just want to prove that I’m a valuable piece to this league and to this team. I’ll just continue to just show up every day.”

The Sixers will start a 5-game road trip on Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. talks trade rumors, filling in for Paul George