The Sixers were never going to be a true contender with Jrue Holiday
The Holiday trade is that main part of Hinkie’s tenure that’s under Post-Finals scrutiny. After all, it probably makes sense to the average fan on paper that a young All-Star player should be kept.
That trade and the impending Process were results of moves the Sixers made prior to Hinkie’s arrival. With how hard the Andrew Bynum-Andre Iguodala trade blew up in Tony DiLeo’s face, the organization had to make moves.
Holiday was a budding All-Star, but let’s be honest with ourselves. He’s the tertiary Bucks’ star in the equation. It’s similar as the 2015 Warriors with Andre Iguodala. With that version of Iguodala as your third or fourth-best player, a title is in reach. With either Holiday or Iguodala as your best players, you’re an eighth seed. The Pelicans with Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Holiday finished as the West’s sixth seed.
Sure, Cousins got hurt that year, but they weren’t a serious contender with Houston and Golden State in that conference.
I think it’s totally fair to think about whether Nerlens Noel was the right pick at six, but the Holiday trade itself was the right move for a team that was sputtering given the moves made in 2012. One can also question whether as much tanking as the Sixers did was necessary, but keeping him would’ve likely kept the Sixers in purgatory. There’s certainly no Embiid or Ben Simmons in an alternate scenario where Holiday is kept.