Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jordan Clarkson attempts a layup against Philadelphia 76ers' Nerlens Noel. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Philadelphia 76ers have officially ended the Sam Hinkie era as he stepped down from his GM post.
What does this mean for the franchise?
Hinkie was more about asset accumulation rather than player development, at least at this stage of "the process." There were assumptions that Hinkie would finally end the process if he got the top talent this year, like Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram. At this point, we would never know.
How would Hinkie solve the center dilemma? Who would he trade? This is the problem with pinning a team's hopes in the lottery-there's no guarantee of winning. The Sixers never got the talent that they were really hoping for: Andrew Wiggins, D'Angelo Russell, Karl Anthony-Towns and Kristaps Porzingis. Instead, they have three centers.
With no selling point for free agents (when even draftees are rumored to be canceling workouts for them) the Sixers need a change of image. Enter Jerry Colangelo, a known stickler for discipline.
Colangelo does not tremble on star power, which is why he ran Team USA so well. He has handled the biggest talents, ergo the biggest egos in the game. Thus, Philadelphia hoops site The Sixer Sense believes that both Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel could be traded.
The popular opinion was that one of them would be traded, with Okafor as the bait since he would catch bigger fish. Also, Noel would have a better chance to adjust with Embiid than Okafor woud. However, as Bret Stuter of TSS mentioned, the latest off-court incident with Noel could change that.
The Philadelphia 76ers have a logjam at the center position, but for how long? By my estimation, not very," Stuter said. "I can see a scenario playing out where both are traded. Will that be the wise choice? Will that place too much court time on Joel Embiid? I think it's not all about winning championships anymore. I think, for now, it's about establishing who is in charge of this team."
Colangelo is not so fond of TMZ appearances, and Noel's shenanigans may lead to serious questions on his character-enough to warrant him a ticket out of Philadelphia.
In a Real GM forum, possible suitors for Nerlens Noel, a young, athletic defense-minded big man have been discussed. One of the primary concerns for the Sixers is at the point, and they could use Noel to acquire one.
In that scenario, the LA Lakers and Atlanta Hawks are two teams with logjams at the point. The Lakers have projected to start both Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell as their backcourt even though both are considered point guards. Russell is being groomed as their long-term guy, and Clarkson is a restricted free agent. Clarkson may be the player they send Eastward.
For the Hawks, they have to make a decision between Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder. Schroder wants to start but Teague has been an All-star. However, Teague has been involved in trade talks at the deadline which shows that the Hawks have already considered moving on without him.
If Al Horford leaves the team in free agency, the Hawks would definitely look at trading for Noel. The Lakers are also expected to let Roy Hibbert walk. If they don't get to sign Hassan Whiteside, trading for Noel would be the next best thing.
