Bradley Beal (Photo : Patrick Smith | Getty Images Sport)
The Philadelphia 76ers might march into relevance later this year, and they may stop collecting draft picks and start winning games.
This is the hope that is the basis for hiring Jerry Colangelo as Chief of Basketball Operations as stated by Philly Mag, that Colangelo's record of success can rub off on the organization that embraced defeat.
The basis of the Philadelphia 76ers tanking venture is to land a transcendent player through the draft (as they could not land such a player through any other means).
The Sixers did not get any such player in the past three drafts. There was no one projected to be that player in 2013 (Giannis was a surprise) and they missed out on Andrew Wiggins and maybe Karl Anthony Towns or even Kristaps Porzingis.
What they do have are three centers (Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor) and no NBA grade point guard as the league plays small-ball.
The armchair executives at Real GM had speculated possible moves that Colangelo might make, or moves they would suggest/make themselves. One of the most intriguing possibilities is acquiring Bradley Beal.
The trade would send Nerlens Noel and the 2016 first round picks of OKC and Miami that the Sixers have acquired. The Wizards could send Bradley Beal and Marcin Gortat's contract to the Wizards.
For the Wizards, some quarters mentioned that despite their bravado of being one of the best backcourts, John Wall and Beal do not actually gel as well as they think. There is also a belief that Gortat is frustrated with the team already.
At this point, Beal is the bigger asset so the Sixers need to add the picks. If Colangelo really wants to contend, he's not doing it with four rookies (Sixers have their own pick, Lakers pick and the two picks mentioned) and likely to convert it to a veteran (or include in a package).
The Wizards will have Wall and Noel, an offense/defense duo, and still have a shot at attracting Kevin Durant.
These are all speculations, and Jerry Colangelo might not have the same thing in mind, but this is a possibility.
