The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Revisiting Philadelphia 76ers Dario Saric Trade

By Bret Stuter

Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie prior to a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie prior to a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie prior to a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie prior to a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Doubling Down Draft

It began with the Jrue Holiday trade in the 2013 NBA Draft.  The Philadelphia 76ers traded Holiday and second round pick Pierre Jackson to the New Orleans Pelicans for their sixth pick of the 2013 NBA Draft Nerlens Noel, and a top five protected first round pick in the 2014 draft. At the time, many considered the move simply a surrender. The pundits interpreted the trade of Jrue Holiday as the disassemble of a competitive team. But the truth was that it was a move that gave poker-faced Sam Hinkie his stake for the next draft.

More from The Sixer Sense

In the 2014 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers held the tenth pick, the pick gleaned from the Pelicans the previous year.  At that pick, the Philadelphia 76ers chose Louisianna-Lafayette point guard Eldrid Payton. The move was surprising in that the team held Michael Carter-Williams at that position, and had just earned rookie of the year.

But Hinkie was aware of the  Orlando Magic’s interest in Payton, and just two picks later with just 30 seconds remaining on the clock, managed to reach an agreement to send Payton to the Magic for the Magic’s twelfth pick, power forward Dario Saric, the 2017 first round pick that the 76ers had given in the Andrew Bynum trade, and a 2015 second round pick, which would be used to select power forward Richaun Holmes.

The trade, like many exchanges brokered by Hinkie, was complex and needed to be unwrapped to fully understand the intricacies and value of the deal.