5 Reasons Philadelphia 76ers Deal Expiring Contracts Before Trade Deadline

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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 /

Reason II: Seeds For Tomorrow

Unlike many teams that have reached the cusp of rebuilding and begin to win games, the Philadelphia 76ers are still a work-in-process. That strikes as a result of a team that is just beginning to assemble the pieces.

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If not for the brilliance of rookie Joel Embiid’s play, the Philadelphia 76ers would be competing with the Brooklyn Nets for the top pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.

But the early stages of a rebuild require a great deal of flexibility. With the only certain “piece” to the team in Joel Embiid, the team needs to preserve flexibility. The only way to do that is to cash in the value of players today into the value of tomorrow’s players.

NBA draft picks are more than just the opportunity to select a guy in the upcoming NBA Draft. They essentially are NBA currency. They are the universally valued tradeable commodity which can convert a point guard from one team into the power forward of another. Since the 76ers are still the work in process, it behooves the team to bank the value of expiring contract players for whatever draft picks the team can acquire.