The Philadelphia 76ers opened the 2014-15 season with an 0-17 start that ranked among the worst in NBA history and everything seemed to be going as planned. That’s because the young team was on pace to get its hands on another No. 1 draft pick. Then they won 12 of its next 36 games to climb above the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA standings, and it became clear they needed to make a move in order to get back to their philosophy for rebuilding.
The 76ers traded their best player, and reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade that netted them just a single draft pick. The move was a shock to some fans and experts that figured Carter-Williams was central to the team’s long-term outlook but for those close to Philadelphia’s general manager and president of basketball operation Sam Hinkie, the move actually made a lot of sense. The 76ers aren’t starting over again. They are simply sticking to the plan.
Hinkie Has A Blueprint
It was clear from the beginning that Hinkie was committed to building a winner in Philadelphia. He didn’t want to tear the roster down and end up rebuilding a team that could contend for a playoff spot but not be able to contend for a championship.
“Just beating the average by a bit, in a pool of 30 competitors, will serve only to disappoint us in the long run,” Hinkie told reporters at his introductory press conference. It’s clear that the 76ers would prefer to have a terrible team for a lot longer if it meant eventually being able to contend for a championship and from that perspective, trading Carter-Williams makes a lot more sense. Philadelphia acquired the Los Angeles Lakers’ protected first-round pick in the deal and that pick could prove to be more valuable than Carter-Williams.
Not Impressed With MCW
Philadelphia’s management had two years to evaluate Carter-Williams and while he was able to put up some decent numbers as the central offensive figure on a team that wasn’t very good, they must have felt he would never become an elite point guard on a championship caliber team and therefore decided to move him in order to acquire an asset. Let’s say he peters out and turns out to be a D.J. Augustin-type player. That’s a distinct possibly judging by how he’s stepped back this season and the 76ers – in that case – are selling high.
It’s All About Drafting
It’s important to remember that the Lakers will keep their pick if it lands in the top-five and that should be the case with an 84% likelihood that happens. However, their protection for next year decreases and Los Angeles will only be able to keep its top pick for the 2015-16 season if it finishes in the bottom three.
The Lakers will have a tough time doing that if Kobe Bryant returns along with last year’s top pick Julius Randle, and any additions the team makes in the offseason in terms of both free agency and the draft. It also won’t help LA’s chances if the 76ers are still bad enough to finish in the bottom three and take up one of those spots. That means the pick they acquired in the Carter-Williams deal could very well end up being a top 10 pick, which is higher than when they selected him at No. 11 in 2013.
Philadelphia also increased its own chances of earning the top pick for this year’s draft – and maybe next year’s – by getting rid of a quality player that can help them win enough now to hurt their draft pick status. But ultimately, he was deemed not to have a high enough upside to be a core player for a potential championship team down the road.
Not Settling For Less
They were never intent on settling for less than the best and once they felt Carter-Williams didn’t fit in to their long-term strategy, it made sense to deal him for whatever they could get to help them the most in the long run without taking anything back. Hinkie turned an asset he deemed relatively average in to a chance to improve their chances at picking No. 1 overall this year and another high first round pick for the following season. The 76ers want to build a championship team and at the end of the day, they feel they had a player who looked good leading a cast of 10-day contracts but wasn’t good enough to be the foundation for serious success.
