Sam Hinkie Loves his Assets

Sam Hinkie watching possible future Sixer? (Dayton Daily News)

This NBA trade deadline was one of the craziest deadlines of all time. It seemed like it was going to be fairly quiet, but then all of a sudden a storm of trades happened. With the likes of Goran Dragic and Brandon Knight being two of the bigger names on the move, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to jump in quickly on the action but trading Michael Carter-Williams and K.J McDaniels. Some Sixer fans probably were there scratching their heads as to what has happened. You would think Michael Carter-Williams and K.J McDaniels would be two building blocks of this team but we know Sam Hinkie loves assets.

The first trade was a very Sixer thing to do. This was taking on JaVale McGee’s contract in exchange for a first round pick which was originally the Oklahoma City Thunders pick. The official trade was JaVale McGee and a first round pick for Cenk Akyol who is a Turkish player who will likely never see the NBA. This trade was purely a salary dump for the Nuggets and the fact the Sixers could get a first round pick for almost nothing is amazing. The pick is protected 1-18 in 2015 and 1-15 in 2016 and 2017. With the way the Thunder are rolling recently, it will likely be a first round pick this year.

The second trade which shocked a ton of people and left some in complete disbelief is trading Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks where they received a first round pick of the Lakers which is top 5 protected in 2015 and top 3 protected in 2016. Although many people didn’t like the trade, I thought it was a great trade for the future of this team. People may have been high on Michael Carter-Williams because he occasionally posted some video game numbers, but one of his big weaknesses is his jump shot. For a point guard, you would probably want someone who can shoot a little bit, but Michael Carter-Williams really struggled with his shot. Michael Carter-Williams now gets to play for a Hall of Famer in Jason Kidd as a coach and it will be interesting to see how he develops. I feel like I am one of the minority who really likes this trade, maybe it’s because I never really thought highly of Michael Carter-Williams in the first place.

The final trade that made some headlines is trading away K.J McDaniels for Isaiah Canaan and a second round pick. Once again, there were many people who did not like this trade but one of the big reasons why this trade was done was because K.J McDaniels was only signed to a one year deal. He started out the season well, but struggled as the season went on. People love his highlight reel plays, but in the end he might be just an average basketball player. The Sixers received Isaiah Canaan who just never has got the opportunity for much playing time. They are hoping they have found a diamond in the rough just like they did with Robert Covington.

To break it all down, the Sixers basically traded Michael Carter-Williams and K.J McDaniels for two first round picks,  one second round pick, Isaiah Canaan,  and JaVale McGee. So what’s next for the Sixers? Mark the date down: May 19, 2015. This is a very important day for the Sixers future as it is the draft lottery. They have a chance to have 4 first round picks this year! If they do in fact receive the number one pick, it will be very interesting to see what they do with Jahlil Okafor on the board since they already have Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. If they receive the number 2 or 3 pick, they will have a much easier decision not having to decide whether or not they want to pick Okafor. After trading Michael Carter-Williams, they are in need of a point guard. D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay are two elite point guards who will likely be in this year’s draft. The Sixers are building to be great and not just above average and this is something that some people really need to see. Michael Carter-Williams was not the answer and Sam Hinkie knew it. Draft day will be fun for Sixer fans.

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Alan Liang is a senior Drexel Sport Management major with minors in Marketing, Business Administration, and Communication from West Windsor, NJ. Alan scores baseball games for Baseball Info Solutions and was on co-op with the Philadelphia 76ers in the camps department. Follow Alan on Twitter @AlanLiang29.