Philadelphia 76ers: Best trade in team history with the Indiana Pacers
The Philadelphia 76ers traded for a franchise icon from the Indian Pacers.
The Philadelphia 76ers have acquired some iconic players throughout their history. Not all these players ended up being superstars. Regarding this series of articles covering the best trade they have made with each team, the best deal they made with the Indiana Pacers helped them acquire an icon in franchise history.
The Sixers have made a total of seven trades with the Pacers. The most recent trade occurred in 2014 when former general manager Sam Hinkie was having the franchise go through a major rebuild. The first trade was made in 1976 and that one ended up being the best one.
Hitting a home run on a trade during the first attempt is impressive but the 76ers didn’t see returns on this deal until the 1980s. On the surface the deal was good, but digging deeper makes it even more of a steal for the Sixers.
The best trade ever between Philly and Indiana was…
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Getting a future first round pick for a first-year NBA player who hadn’t play an NBA minute at that point and who was only a solid ABA player is a win in itself. Mel Bennett was an undersized power forward who played four NBA seasons for three teams. His NBA career average was 3.9 players and 3.3 rebounds. Turning him into what became the eighth overall pick is a win.
That pick turned into Andrew Toney and while he was never a superstar, he was an important part of the Sixers’ success during the 1980s, and their title run in 1983. Toney also is known as, “The Boston Strangler”, was a two-time All-Star and has a career average of 15.4 points and 4.2 assists.
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Honestly, it’s surprising that Toney hasn’t had his jersey retired by the Philadelphia 76ers yet and it should be. Getting the pick that became him for a player who wasn’t all that impressive is clearly a win for the Sixers.