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Philadelphia 76ers: Pick Swap With Portland Trail Blazers Makes Perfect Sense

By D. Goodman

Jul 23, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie during a press conference at PCOM. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 23, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie during a press conference at PCOM. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the NBA Draft only hours away, the rumors and speculation about deals and trades is really starting to go into overdrive. From teams looking to move up to others that are desperate to dump salary or make room on their payroll, right now nothing is off the table and pretty much anything goes.

One team with a plethora of options in front of them is the Philadelphia 76ers. Thanks to the wheeling and dealing of general manager Sam Hinkie, the Sixers have plenty of cap room, the third overall pick on draft night as well as enough future first- and second-round picks that they can pretty much work out a deal with just about anyone.

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The Sixers have already been rumored to be involved in a number of possible deals already, from the prospect of the Sixers acquiring the New York Knicks No. 4 pick to the laughable Boston Celtics trade proposal of Marcus Smart and the 16th and 28th picks in exchange for center Nerlens Noel and the No. 3 pick.

One story that has many Sixers fans very interested is word that Hinkie is looking to get a second first-round pick, somewhere in the late teens or early 20s. If things had gone according to plan, the Sixers would have had four first-round picks on Thursday, but due to protections and so forth, none converted and the team ended up with only their own pick after all was said and done.

Now Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders has revealed that a deal may be brewing between the Sixers and the Portland Trail Blazers that would be a simple pick swap that could help both teams.

As soon as word broke about even the possibility of this deal, Sixers fans were all for it and for good reason. The 76ers have five second-round picks in this year’s draft as well as a metric ton of second-rounders stockpiled over the next five years.

Losing two of them to get another first-round pick is an obvious win for the franchise and would go a long way towards furthering Hinkie’s plan of rebuilding through the draft.

For the Trail Blazers, who need to make some salary room in order to sign All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews to new, monster contracts, not having to deal with a first-round pick and the guaranteed rookie contract they entail would be a blessing.

Instead, they would only have to manage two non-guaranteed second-rounders and if they can find a pair of international players they can draft-and-stash, even better.

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As for what the Sixers would do with the 23rd pick, the thinking seems to be that Hinkie would be looking to add a center to the roster, someone who can deepen the bench and add to the rotation.

Currently the only big man the Sixers have under contract is Furkan Aldemir and his 2.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game last season are far from the type of numbers that would let Sixers head coach Brett Brown feel comfortable with him in the game.

At No. 23, there could still be a few big men available that could fill that need, including Myles Turner out of Texas or Washington’s Robert Upshaw. But for that to happen, Hinkie needs to do the deal and do it soon. Portland has a lot on their plate and all indications are that the trade with the Sixers is not at the top of their priority list.

Hinkie has been amassing assets almost from the day he took the job as the 76ers’ General Manager. Now it’s time to start doing something with them.

Do the deal.

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