The Philadelphia 76ers’ best trade with the Orlando Magic is a story of redemption.
Very rarely do NBA teams redeem themselves from making a very bad trade with a team to making a very good deal that helps repair the damage done from that bad trade with that same club. That is exactly what has happened in the trade history between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic.
Thus far in this series of articles, the 76ers haven’t had many redeeming trades. However, despite making some bad trades with the Magic, they also redeemed themselves after one of those deals.
There have been seven trades between Orlando and Philly spanning from 1999 to 2020. There have been some bad deals in this trade history. Like sending Markelle Fultz to the Magic or trading a future first round pick for Anzejs Pasecņiks. However, the worst was the Andrew Bynum deal and that’s why the trade below is a story of redemption.
The best trade ever between Philly and Orlando was…
This is one of former general manager Sam Hinkie’s signature “Process” trades. He traded the 10th pick in that draft (Elfrid Payton), 2015 second round pick (Willy Hernangomez), and 2018 first round pick (Landry Shamet) for the 12th pick (Dario Saric).
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That’s quite the package to move up just two spots in the draft so, in terms draft capitale alone, this was a win for the Sixers. Hernangomez’s pick was later traded and was counted the best trade in 76ers history with the New York Knicks.
Payton and Saric are similar players in regards to both can be starters in the right situation although they are bench players on most teams. The Sixers really win this trade with that 2018 pick that became Shamet.
There’s no denying that Shamet had a great run during his short tenure with the franchise before getting traded for Tobias Harris, however, it’s the pick that selected him that makes this a story of redemption.
In the horrific Bynum trade in 2012, the 76ers sent their 2018 first round pick to Orlando as part of the four-team deal. It was a great accomplishment that Philly was able to get that pick back from the Magic just two years later in 2014. It was a real moral victory for the franchise in that regard.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ best trade with the Magic isn’t just about the Sixers winning the deal, but also redeeming themselves from past mistakes.