Philadelphia 76ers: 5 candidates for vacant general manager role

1. Sam Hinkie, former president and GM, Philadelphia 76ers

While there is plenty of thought about the team considering the established front office NBA executives, there is more at stake here. On one hand, there is the perception of NBA free agents throughout the league. On the other hand, there is the trust of the players on the team today.

So as the Philadelphia 76ers weigh out the options of who to sign to the now-vacated front office job, the role currently filled by head coach Brett Brown, the team must consider how to best repair the damage to its current players.

In short, they must now make good with center Joel Embiid.

Let’s face it, for all the talk of tanking, the Philadelphia 76ers are no longer in the market of building for tomorrow. Tomorrow is, in many ways, today. That creates the window of opportunity for the team to rehire its former president of basketball operations and GM, Sam Hinkie.

Why him? Well, he should be part of the talent search for three distinct reasons: He knows the Philadelphia 76ers operations and coaching staff; the players trust him; and he has no equal when it comes to working that NBA Draft board.

Right now, the team has been building a solid core of not only players, but an entire NBA championship infrastructure. While some say he cannot build a winner, he played a vital role in assembling the Sixers’ current roster, as well as a key role in landing James Harden on the Houston Rockets. He succeeded where others failed because he embraces the chances of failing.

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The Philadelphia 76ers must choose wisely in selecting Bryan Colango’s replacement, but they must do so quickly. In the end, the next team president and GM will be expected to deliver a championship to the city of Philadelphia. As such, he certainly must be up to the task.