The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Will The Philadelphia 76ers See An End To NBA Draft Swaps?

By Bret Stuter

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie prior to a game against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie prior to a game against the Sacramento Kings at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Hinkie Legacy

While the team ended the night of the 2016 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers benefited from the odds of five teams on draft night.   It was the rights to swap the picks with that of the Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors which gave the Philadelphia 76ers an added jolt to their draft odds, nearly a year before the NBA draft arrived.

More from Draft

But Sam Hinkie had more in sight than one draft night.  He had the 2017 NBA draft in mind when he negotiated the rights to swap draft picks with the Sacramento Kings in that draft as well.   In the 2019 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers will enjoy the second round pick of either the Milwaukee Bucks of that of the Sacramento Kings, whichever is more favorable.

But the rights to swap draft picks, so far, end in 2019 NBA draft.

It was the draft swap, the sweetener to make a trade happen, which was an incredible forte of Sam Hinkie.  He arrived to the Philadelphia 76ers and immediately went to work to not only restore the draft pipeline to the Philadelphia 76ers franchise, but to enhance it in such a way as to improve the Philadelphia 76ers odds of the best selection with whatever draft picks did come his way.

On draft night, Hinkie used his superior position of selecting to pick prized prospects of other teams, and then trade those prospects  to the teams desiring the player, for their own coveted player PLUS a premium (usually in the form of additional draft picks).

On draft night, it was that strategy which landed Dario Saric for the player selected at ten in the 2014 NBA Draft, Elfrid Payton.  That trade to the Orlando Magic eliminated the burden of the Andrew Bynum/Arnette Moultrie trade era.  In fact, if there was a singular draft move which hooked so many fans on entrusting the future of the team to the “stats guy”, this move was the defining moment.

But that era has ended as well.

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