The Summer So Far

Though it’s not summer for another 2 weeks or so, I’ve always treated the NBA off-season as the summer – the hot months where NBA basketball doesn’t exist. For the Sixers, it’s been summer since early May, when they were ousted in the first round of the playoffs. The summer could be shorter or longer this year – shorter because the Sixers played into May, longer because the players might still be locked out.

However long this lasts, though, it can’t get more hectic than during this time for the 76ers franchise. The next week may shape their future dramatically, as the team looks to be sold to a group led by Joshua Harris*. The Sixers’ best player for the past 4 years, Andre Iguodala, looks to be on the way out the door. And during a stretch of the summer where I thought I could take off from writing for a little while, the Sixers happen to be the third team in the spotlight, aside from the two Finals teams.

*I’ll have more on the sale stuff either tomorrow or Saturday, talking about the current ownership and whether it’s been any good.

Here’s a little review of what has happened since the end of the season (after the jump):

• Andre Iguodala skips his exit interview, and in talks with the media said that he looks forward to playing in the NBA next year, making no reference to the Sixers.
• Rumors that a Rudy Gay for Andre Iguodala swap are swatted down by Michael Heisley, owner of the Memphis Grizzlies
• Kate Fagan then launches an “everything but Iguodala” series of articles in the Inquirer, talking about team options for next year. I love Kate’s writing, but she’s been fueling speculation about Iguodala since the end of the year. Whether it’s her sources reporting this or not, Iguodala’s been halfway out the door in the minds of many fans after reading her thoughts.
• Jodie Meeks is going back to college to get his degree, which is awesome. Maybe not all that newsworthy, but awesome.
• Ric Bucher reported that Monta Ellis for Iguodala trade talks between Golden State and Philadelphia are taking place.
• Henry Abbott, of all people, has the scoop that a sale of the team is “imminent” to Joshua Harris.
• Marc Stein reported that Chris Kaman for Iguodala trade talks have also taken place.
• Fagan reports that “imminent” is too strong of a word for the current state of negotiations.
• More rumors surface, this time that Iguodala could be traded for Hedo Turkoglu. I vomited after writing that last sentence.

So, eight (well, really seven) notable tidbits have emerged since the end of the season, about 5 more than I expected going into the summer. And, for good or bad, I don’t expect these situations to cool down anytime soon.

What we do know: the owners are looking to sell, Iguodala is on the block, and everybody seemingly wants him. After that, we’ll just have to wait and see. As for my writing break – eh, it was a nice few days. There’s too much going on to not be here. More news as it comes along. And I thought it would be an uneventful summer…