With all of the hype surrounding Andrew Wiggins, every team in the league would be more then happy to be slated to pick first overall and add the young talent to their team. Fortunately for the 76ers, they have a pretty good chance of challenging their own league record for fewest wins in a season with 9. Now as we all know the Sixers traded their All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday during this past draft for Nerlens Noel and a 1st round pick in next years draft (lottery protected 1-5) to further bolster their assets in case they don't get that number 1 pick. But what if all of this is just a set-up and Wiggins isn't the only target for next year? What if Wiggins is just a piece to an even larger plan that Hinkie set in motion the night he traded Jrue?
I think Sam Hinkie might have more to his plan of tanking for Wiggins. All summer Hinkie has been making minor, not including the Holiday trade, moves adding young players with a lot of unproven potential. Im not saying that any of these players are gonna break out and turn into the next great player, but hey they could turn out to be decent role players and worst case after this year they are all gone after their deals expire. In the best scenerio the sixers get double-digit wins but still end up with the top pick and, with the way the Pelicans look, another high lottery pick. All of the sudden the Sixers could have a core of young talented players to build around.
With only Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams and Thadeus Young under contract for next year ( hoping Jason Richardson doesn't exercise his player option) the team would have a lot of money to throw around in free agency, now this is when it gets interesting. If you add Wiggins and another high lottery pick into that group of players, you have a young core that if they grow and play well together could be good for years to come. With, at minimum (if Richardson decides to screw us out of $6.6 mill), $25 million to play with next summer and a lot of young talent, why not try to make a max offer to LeBron, Carmelo, D-Wade or even Kobe. The young talent to build around will be there, and a coach who is out to prove he is worthy of being a head coach in NBA will be there (because we all know 2013-2014 will not reflect well on him). All you need is to sell one of those players on the team, all of its potential and the chance that they have to lead this young group into greatness and hope one of them decides its worth a try. And just like that you could go from challenging for the worst single season record to challenging the powerhouses for an NBA title. It is a change this city sorely needs, because basketball has been in a state of shambles around this city for years now.
And just like that the 76ers would be good and basketball would be relevant again in the city of brotherly love. Unfortunately a lot of things have to happen in order for all this to fall into place starting with the players deciding to opt-out of their current deals. Also, for all any of us know, Hinkie could be ok with being bad for the next few years and building from the draft and not trying to bring in a superstar. I have hopes he might see the value, since he is all about his analytical analysis, in signing a big name next summer but that is still to be determined. Until then, here's to hoping the Sixers get a new record (albeit a bad one) and get the pick that they need.
Goins
photo: NBA.com
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