Inevitable Moves the Philadelphia 76ers Will Make

The Philadelphia 76ers will have to make some inevitable moves soon in order to keep the rebuilding process moving.

No one was quite sure what to expect from the Sixers on trade deadline day 2016. Sam Hinkie had set quite a precedent for himself during his first two deadline days in charge of the team’s personnel, as he traded former lottery picks like stamps for future assets.

The moves made in 2014, which included shipping out Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes, and LaVoy Allen, were expected. The last minute move that sent reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2015 was less expected. Hinkie has proven time and again that he is unafraid to make a move if he feels it is in the franchise’s best long-term interest, and has, over the course of the last two seasons, used the deadline to facilitate such moves. Thus, it is easy to understand why anticipation was elevated among the Philadelphia faithful heading into the deadline.

The addition of Jerry Colangelo into the organization’s front office, tasked with improvement, further clouded potential predictions about what the team may do on deadline day. As it turns out – several rumors and a botched deal for a future second round pick later – the Sixers sat still, content to ride out into the offseason, and the vastly important ’16 Draft, with their current asset base.

There was no Okafor trade. No Nerlens Noel deal. No shipping out of assets to acquire a fringe star.

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Overall, it was a quiet deadline day for an organization that had grown accustomed to re-drafting the roster page of its programs directly after the deadline. However, just because the team did not jump at the first few available opportunities to move one of their talented, yet ill-fitting big men does not mean that such a move won’t be made. They’re coming, eventually.

It is no secret that Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel have struggled to co-exist on the court at time this season. This difficulty is due largely to their natural skill sets, which aren’t complementary, especially in today’s NBA. Throw in a (hopefully healthy) Joel Embiid, and the Sixers’ future frontcourt fit becomes even murkier, albeit steeped in talent.

The truth is, it was never intended for the three bigs to co-exist on the same squad. When selecting each of the three potential franchise-altering big men, the best player available approach was utilized, rather than team-fit. This was a calculated decision by Sam Hinkie, who knew that having top-tier talent chips – each of Noel, Embiid, and Okafor were for a time slated as most likely to be selected first in their respective drafts – as trade assets would increase flexibility down the road when the team was ready to compete. Current fit was ignored, as the goal was simply to acquire as much high-level talent as possible. When the time came, the team could move one of the young, talented bigs to even out the roster.

Well, the time is coming, as the Sixers appear ready to take the next step forward in their rebuild this offseason. After the 2016 Draft, which will include a top-4 pick and likely much more, the Sixers will have a stockpile of assets, ample cap space, and a whole bunch of flexibility with which to operate. It is hard to tell when moves are coming — potentially on draft night, or maybe closer to the season’s start, maybe not until next year’s trade deadline — but they’re coming. It is likely that the team will assess its roster after draft night and go from there.

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Sam Hinkie has spent the past three years positioning the Sixers, and the franchise is nearly ready to move on that position. Noel, Embiid, and Okafor all remain on the roster as currently constructed, but it is only a matter of time.