The Sixers’ foes in the East have made moves. What will Philly do by the trade deadline?

PORTLAND, Ore. — What will the 76ers do?

The Boston Celtics are undoubtedly the NBA’s best team. Meanwhile, other Eastern Conference teams — the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and Miami Heat — have all made moves to get better.

Yet at 29-15, the Sixers are still in contention for the conference title. They’re two games behind the second-place Bucks (32-14) and five behind the Celtics (35-11) with 38 games remaining.

But let’s not get it twisted. The Sixers have a ways to go to be on Boston’s level.

And despite being higher in the standings, Philly has a 1-4 record overall against the fourth-place Knicks (29-17), the sixth-place Pacers (26-20) and seventh-place Heat (24-22).

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So the Sixers are far from guaranteed to beat any of those squads in a first-round series. And they know it.

They’re also fully aware the front office wants to alter the roster ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.

The Sixers may get an up-close glimpse of two players who would help them via a trade when they face the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night at the Moda Center. Guard Malcolm Brogdon, who was sidelined Friday with a right knee contusion, would provide depth at guard. Forward Jerami Grant, who’s dealing with mid-back soreness, would be versatile on both ends of the floor. No longer a defensive-minded role player, he has blossomed into a solid scorer.

Atlanta Hawks combo guard Dejounte Murray and Toronto Raptors swingman Bruce Brown are two guys the Sixers are unlikely to pursue. Yet they would be great additions if the Sixers could make a deal for them.

Acquiring Grant, Brogdon, Murray or Brown won’t guarantee the Sixers will beat the Celtics in a playoff series. However, it would give them a better chance to do so.

Right now, the Sixers are a banged-up team.

Nico Batum was the only regular starter available Saturday in a 111-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

Joel Embiid was a late scratch with left knee soreness. Tyrese Maxey (sprained left ankle) and Tobias Harris (illness) were officially ruled out 90 minutes before the game. And De’Anthony Melton (back injury) has missed 10 of the last 12 games. Embiid, Maxey and Harris are questionable for Monday night, while Melton will remain sidelined.

“I think the key for us, the Sixers, is we have to stay healthy,” Embiid said. “I think we have a pretty good chance. But we have to stay healthy ... But we have a long way to go, like I always say.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in here. But there’s a lot of good teams between Boston, Milwaukee. Miami got better. New York got better with trades. So we’re right there, but those teams are pretty good. And we will see how that goes.”

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Some are wondering if the Sixers should trade Harris, who’s making $39.2 million in the final year of his contract.

It wouldn’t make sense to trade him if their goal is to win a championship this season. It’s unlikely that they’ll get something back in return that would be that much of an upgrade. They would have to get an All-Star player, which might be hard to do.

Plus, the Sixers want to see what their core standouts can do. If they can add a fourth option-type of player, they’ll probably jump at the chance. And they probably wouldn’t be opposed to parting ways with Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington or a seldom-use role player to facilitate the trade.

It’s no secret that the Sixers are looking to add a perimeter player and a backup center at the deadline. Nor is it a secret that they acquired Morris, Covington, Batum, and KJ Martin, two first-round picks and two second-rounders in the three-team trade that sent James Harden to Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 1 to help facilitate another trade.

Morris ($17.1 million), Batum ($11.7M), Covington ($11.6M), and Martin ($1.9M) all have expiring contracts. The Sixers were adamant about needing two first-rounders in any deal for Harden.

The team is unlikely to trade Batum. Like in the case of Harris, it won’t make a lot of sense for the Sixers to trade Morris unless they’re getting a substantially better fit in return.

The North Philly native has provided a veteran presence and skill set, flashing qualities that could be beneficial in the postseason. With 67 postseason appearances under his belt, Morris has experience that would be an asset. He’s also a leader on and off the court.

But his contract is a great asset to help tweak the roster.

Brown would bring championship pedigree, having helped the Nuggets win last season’s title. The 6-foot-4, 202-pounder plays with toughness and makes winning plays. Brown is the type of player a lot of teams would like to trade for. Like the Sixers, the Bucks and Heat would benefit from his presence.

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Grant also has a knack for making winning plays. He could step in and automatically become the Sixers’ fourth-best player. The only problem is Grant and Harris have some similarities. So they would have to find a way to mesh.

Brogdon would be a great addition for a postseason run. The 6-4, 229-pounder would provide size in the backcourt. He has the ability to knock down three-pointers.

And Murray’s presence would enable Maxey to play off the ball more, allowing him to just focus on scoring. He would make the Sixers deeper at the guard position with Melton sliding to a reserve role.

Murray is also a former All-Star who is playing close to that level. He and Grant would improve the Sixers starting lineup. Meanwhile, Brogdon and Brown could excel as high-level reserves.

Whatever move the Sixers make has to make them better because the East got more competitive with recent transactions.

Murray is also a very good defender, garnering NBA All-Defensive second-team honors in 2018. His 6-10 wingspan would make the Sixers look longer on the perimeter. He’s a bigger guard who knows how to play and win.

Local fans remember Doc Rivers for his inability to get the Sixers out of the second round the last three seasons. That led to his being fired and replaced by Nick Nurse as Sixers coach this offseason.

But Rivers was hired by the Bucks on Wednesday, one day after the team fired Adrian Griffin despite his 30-13 record.

Rivers provides new energy for a team that lost faith in Griffin. We’ll see if that can help Milwaukee win an NBA title. But the change in leadership definitely helped. And the Bucks will respect Rivers, at least in the beginning.

The Knicks got better because of the acquisition of standout forward OG Anunoby. The same can be said about the Pacers with All-Star forward Pascal Siakam, and Heat with point guard Terry Rozier.

So what will the Sixers do?