Philadelphia 76ers are rumored to be considering their trading options before the trade deadline. But nobody knows what the team is considering. With Sam Hinkie, the team was unpredictable, but predictably converted valued assets of the team today into future assets. But paired with Jerry Colangelo? Philadelphia 76ers trade strategy is anybody’s guess.
Big Deal.
The NBA trade deadline is approaching.
Big Deal.
No, I’m not discounting the date, nor the significance.
The 2016 NBA trade deadline is fast approaching. If you blink, you might miss the date of February 18th, 2016. So far, the Philadelphia 76ers have been steady as she goes. And why shouldn’t the team hold fast? I mean, they are on a mini run of success that almost carried them into the winner’s circle against the arguably best team in the NBA this year, a Golden State Warriors team that entered the game red hot. The Philadelphia 76ers not only held their own, but they scrapped back and nearly won the game if not for the last fraction of a second miracle shot by Harrison Barnes, the game might have been the upset of the decade.
But the close is not good enough does not apply to this team, to this moment, to this loss. The Philadelphia 76ers have been ridden hard this year by sports writers, analysts, and fans who barely understand what president and general manager Sam Hinkie is even attempting. These same writers and analysts have been begging, hoping, and seeking reasons to discount the path currently taken by the team. Even sports broadcasters from national media have implored the NBA to censor or even ban the 76ers.
Big Deal.
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If the thought process of the wiser minds than my own hold true, the Sixers may not be making headlines with deals-at-the-deadline announcements this year. Perhaps this is the year where the team rests. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, the team is content to allow the bevy of young prospects grow up and together a little bit. The front office has to be feeling a little smug right now, with a minor move of two second round draft picks which has evolved into a major acquisition of point guard Ish Smith, a move that has made the difference of bringing this team into the light of improvement from the darkness of chaos.
Not quite what Hinkie had in mind when he didn’t resign Smith in the off-season.
"“We had two point guards on the roster in Isaiah Canaan and Tony Wroten, and we signed four others, Kendall Marshall, Pierre Jackson, Scottie Wilbekin, and T.J. McConnell. We felt good about those bets. [We also felt] some set of those six would be able to help us this season, and some of them have. He just wasn’t among that six.” – Sam Hinkie as told to Keith Pompey of www.Philly.com"
Ish Smith was the perfect alpha test of the new regime. He was a low risk prospect, had a huge affection for the Philadelphia 76ers, and was showing improvement from the moment he signed on with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Next: Sledge Hammer
All The Subtlety Of A Sledge Hammer
The strategy of Sam Hinkie is apparent. When he doesn’t know the outcome, he tosses an army of bodies at the position until someone emerges as the clear cut starter. It has it’s advantages, as it has led the team to the discovery of reserve point guard T.J. McConnell and his growing confidence as he plays behind Smith. But the drawback to Hinkie’s strategy is that it has all the accuracy of a sledge hammer. He busts up a position into pieces, and then tries to marry the right piece to the closest “fit”. Even worse, he steps back and places that responsibility to head coach Brett Brown.
But from the moment of his affiliation with the team, Jerry Colangelo has taken a “how can I help?” perspective. Imagine the relief and thrill when his introduction to Brown immediately turned to “what do you need?” conversation. That’s the moment when Brown discussed the void in the assistant head coaching role. Two days later, Colangelo had reached out to Mike D’Antoni and persuaded him to come on-board.
Problem Solved. Big Deal.
Now the team is beginning to turn the corner. At 48 games into the season, this team is still left with 34 games left to play. If the turn around is just a mirage, the team will settle back into 16 win season. If that is the case, then the team will not make a move now. It’s premature, and wisdom would be best served to allow the team to mature, absorb the return of Joel Embiid and Dario Saric and draft picks, and move forward in the 2016 season.
But this team has some potential now. If the team is really turning the corner, the team could play .500 or better basketball through season’s end. If the team projects to 24-28 wins this year, this is the time to consider swapping for another “Ish Smith” like deal. Can this team win 17 -21 games of the 34 games left? Perhaps, perhaps not. The team is improving rapidly, having taken the best of the NBA to the wire. It’s enough to expect the team to win some games against teams they should not beat.
Next: Wings
Wings
Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers are shooters away from turning to the positive rapidly. When the team watched small forward Robert Covington struggle this season, they had virtually nobody to take over for the minutes and the production. In similar fashion, shooting guard Nik Stauskas has been paired by Brett Brown as players with the capacity to play two-way: impacting the game both on the offense and on the defensive side of the court.
The Sixers need perimeter shooters. Today the team is sitting deep in front court talent in the combination of Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Richaun Holmes. Tomorrow the team will add Joel Embiid and Dario Saric to the rotation. That’s a crowd of big bodies. With the point guard position securely in the hands of Ish Smith and his understudy T.J. McConnell, the team’s last area to upgrade is the perimeter scoring.
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Right now, that could place the team in the market for a player with a good trey shot who is out of favor in his current role or team. What do the Sixers have to offer? Young talented defenders. Small foward Jerami Grant is a great second year defender whose offensive production has jumped from 6.2 points per game last season to 9.2 this year. Likewise third year shooting guard Hollis Thompson plays a consistent game, averaging 8.8 points per game for the second year in a row. Lastly, second year shooting guard JaKarr Sampson has played a dependable role, scoring 5.2 points per game just as he had a year ago. Even point guard Kendall Marshall could be a trade chip in the wake of Ish Smith and T.J. McConnell placing a choke hold on the team’s point guard minutes. Lastly, even the big scorer off the bench Isaiah Canaan could be dealt to the right team for the right player.
Who might that be?
Next: Target Shopping
Target Shopping
Well setting up potential targets for trades truly depends on the trade partner not turning a deaf ear on the Sixers initial contact. But let’s allow Jerry Colangelo to work his magic and just point at players who could bring immediate impact to this Sixers team.
Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George – The possibility of this player being traded does not immediately strike someone as the type of deal that could and would go down before the trade deadline. That’s what makes this so intriguing. The Indiana Pacers are a solid team on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, but they have one achilles heel, the rebound. In fact, they are tied for 19th in the league with a -1.4 rebound differential. If the Sixers truly believe in the emergence of Joel Embiid in the 2016-2017 season, they have a window open to explore what it would take to bring Paul George to Philly. If the Sixers packaged their own rebound leader Nerlens Noel, and as few draft picks as needed, they could harvest one of the best small forwards in the NBA. Why would the Pacers consider such a move? They are an aging team with few young talents. Despite the great offense and defense, the team is stuck in the strata of just better than .500 basketball. Too good to grab top talent, too bad to go deep into the playoffs. A Noel/Pick for George would be a win win scenario for both teams.
Miami Heat small forward Luol Deng – He is in the final year of his 2-year $19 million deal with the Heat (giving Hinkie the coveted free cap space in 2016), has a history of producing as an elite wingman when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls. However, he has not been putting up big numbers ever since coming off his one year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Currently playing at a 10.1 points per game clip, his best playing days are behind him. But with young talent like Robert Covington on the roster, he could yield a teamwide impact at the position.
Sacramento Kings small forward Rudy Gay – Gay is very productive, still performing at his career average of 18.5 points per game for the Sacramento Kings. His offense is lost on a team which is bobbing just good enough to miss out on top draft picks, but just below playoff caliber basketball. The former Toronto Raptor could absolutely fill the need for a wing-man, but if ever the trade goes down, the Kings would likely ask for more than the Sixers are willing to trade away for Gay, who still has two years remaining in his contract.
Memphis Grizzlies small forward Jeff Green – Green, also in the last year of his contract with Memphis (again, Sam Hinkie would like this), could be missing piece for the Sixers. He had a solid offense for the Grizzlies and the Celtics last year. He averaged 17.6 points with a 30 percent shooting from beyond the arc for Boston, while his late season stint with the Grizzlies increased his three-point percentage to 36 percent on 13.1 points a game.
While these are just the tip of the iceberg, each of these players would not only bring offense to the Sixers roster, but a level of veteran savvy and leadership to groom so many of the young players at the position going forward.
Next: Long Shots
Long Shots
If the team does not find enough value dealing for established wings, they may want to consider other lesser noted targets:
Shooting guard Landry Fields – Fields underwent hip surgery in September 2015, and is currently recovering from that surgery. His best year was in 2010-2011, where he scored 9.7 points per game while playing for the New York Knicks. Since his rookie season, his production has steadily declined. The Raptors could not reasonably expect to ask for much, so this has the potential for a player swap trade. If the Sixers have a player who catches the Raptors eye, they might even get a second round draft pick as well in the transaction.
Shooting guard Francisco Garcia – Garcia is in the sunset of his NBA career, having enjoyed his best offensive production as a Sacramento King in 2007-2009. He’s been a free agent since 2014, when he was cut by the Houston Rockets. The role Garcia would play with the Sixers would be purely as a mentor to the younger players on the roster.
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Former Sixer shooting guard K.J.McDaniels – How about that? Another former Sixer could be on the target? Right now, he’s playing for the Houston Rockets D-League team the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. While there, he’s averaged 15.6 ppg and 8.3 rpg. These numbers are not mind-blowing, but his play has shown the tools necessary to be in an NBA rotation. But even moreso, he is familiar with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he averaged 9.2 points per game on an average of 25 minutes of play. While he has yet to develop the range shooting which would make this a top possibility, the Sixers had proven that the team can turn yesterday’s okay into today’s “oooh!”. McDaniels could play into a situation very similar to the teams acquisition for Ish Smith. Converting a late first round draft pick into McDaniels and a second round pick would give the team plenty of opportunity to size up the player before the next wave arrives.
Next: Philadelphia 76ers Trade Strategy
Philadelphia 76ers Trade Strategy
The Sixers are in a unique position right now. They are improving and are looking at as many as six new faces for this team. Can Brett Brown and Mike D’Antoni absorb that many new faces and bring the team into playoff contention almost instantly?
Perhaps.
But Jerry Colangelo is not that type of man to expect all the dominoes to fall the right way each time. His presence on the decision making level of the Philadelphia 76ers has already been marked by new strategies and new ways of thinking. What does that mean in the potential of the Philadelphia 76ers trade strategy as the trade deadline appears?
Big Deal.
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A big deal like a scenario that brings Paul George to Philly. A big deal to reunite Brett Brown with K.J.McDaniels. Right now, the only barrier hold back the 76ers from making something happen is deciding what it is that they want to do. Jerry Colangelo has shown a propensity for delivering the unfathomable. He doesn’t do a deal for the sake of a deal. He doesn’t sever a relationship with a player if there is a potential for the situation to improve.
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What he does is make things happen. He shakes the palm trees and makes the coconuts fall to the ground. That’s why I believe this Philadelphia Sixer team is in the running for a deal at the wire. The team had to show a spark in order to set the wheels in motion. They have done that and more. Now, let the spinning wheel turn. If the team continues to succeed on the basketball court, their draft position could suffer as a result.
Is one bird in the hand worth two in the bush? Hinkie likes two birds in the bush. But I sense that Jerry Colangelo will opt for the one bird in the hand. Who that may eventually be is a good guess. If it’s Paul George or K.J.McDaniels, you heard it here first.