Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie has a plan. It might be a plan that forced the team into a two-year stretch that remains among the worst in NBA history.
But it’s still a plan.
Now starting to reap the benefit of actually “tanking” since the start of last season, Philadelphia’s salary cap and roster flexibility afforded it the ability to pick up big man JaVale McGee while also acquiring a first-round pick and not giving up much of substance.
Taking advantage of what appears to be a fire sale by the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia acquired McGee and his $12 million salary from Denver in exchange for Turkish player Cenk Akyol, who the Atlanta Hawks selected in the 2005 NBA draft. Needless to say, Akyol isn’t heading to the states anytime soon. In addition to picking up McGee, the Sixers were able to land a top-18 protected pick from Denver (originally from the Cleveland Cavaliers) in the upcoming draft.
While this move will have an impact on Philadelphia’s cap moving forward, it also means that the team will likely have three first-round picks in the upcoming 2015 NBA draft.
As it relates to McGee, it remains to be seen what role (if any) he will play in Philadelphia. The seventh-year pro is averaging just 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He is, however, averaging over eight points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his career. With that said, the bigger draw for Philadelphia was obviously the first-round pick it’s going to acquire from the Nuggets.
In terms of what this deal does for Denver, it creates salary cap room and another trade exception. Fresh off dealing Arron Afflalo to the Portland Trail Blazers, the team now has trade exceptions amounting to $7.5 and $12 million.
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