Eric Hartline – USA Today Sports Images
The Philadelphia 76ers are not going to be good in the upcoming NBA season. Last year their team revolved around their star point guard Jrue Holiday and was supposed to feature Andrew Bynum, but that wrinkle of their roster was negated by injury. However, Holiday has now been traded and the Sixers now have a young core in-house.
Holiday was traded as part of a deal on the night of the 2013 NBA Draft that landed the Sixers Nerlens Noel and the first-round pick of the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2014 draft. Bynum is also no longer with the team as Philly decided they had enough of his melodrama last year and let him walk in free agency.
However, the poor season that is inevitable for the Sixers this year isn’t all for naught. This is all part of the plan of newly hired general manager Sam Hinkie. As the Sixers stand right now, that plan is starting out wonderfully.
In terms of talent that they currently have, they obviously have Noel, a length young center with elite defensive skills, athleticism and the potential to be an All-Star. Moreover, they also have their own first-round pick from this year, Michael Carter-Williams, who has the potential to be an elite facilitating point guard in this league. Even more, the 76ers will have a ton of cap-room next summer as, other than the deals Carter-Williams and Noel sign, they currently have just $9 million that’s for sure going to be on the books.
However, the biggest asset that the Sixers have is a stockpile of picks in the 2014 draft. They have two picks in the second round. They also have the Pelicans pick, which is just top-five protected. They also have their own pick, which is undoubtedly going to be high with the team they’re going to be trotting out this upcoming season.
The reason those draft picks are so incredibly valuable is that the 2014 NBA Draft is expected to be one of the best and deepest drafts in the last decade. There are a number of franchise-changing players in that draft, including the much hyped Andrew Wiggins, who will likely go number one overall.
Given their assets right now, going into the 2014 NBA Draft, the Sixers could potentially have Noel, Carter-Williams, two top-20 picks, two second-round picks, Thaddeus Young, and a ton of cap-room to sign free-agents. That is undoubtedly exactly what Hinkie wants.
Philadelphia is going to be tough to watch in the season 2013-2014, though. Noel won’t be back until at least midway through the season and they don’t have a whole lot of talent on the roster. To be frank, they are going to be a train-wreck; and that’s just the way they want it to happen.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google+ and like his Facebook page.
