June 23, 2016
The NBA Draft is always full of wheeling and dealing, and coming into Thursday night, no team was reportedly busier on the trade front than the Philadelphia 76ers. In addition to selecting Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick, president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo was reportedly very aggressive in trying to get back into the top-10.
In general, it was reported that the Sixers were looking to trade either Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel for Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, or even Buddy Hield. Looking at the current roster construction, such a deal would make some sense in a vacuum. Big for small.
At the end of the night, though, Colangelo wasn't able to strike a deal. And after weighing what the Sixers were reported to be offering, it says here that he either dodged a bullet or, if the reports weren't true, Colangelo was prudent with his assets. One or the other.
There were numerous reports that the Sixers were bidding against the Chicago Bulls (offering Jimmy Butler) for the No. 3 pick, but the Boston Celtics ended up taking Cal swingman Jaylen Brown. Croatian forward Dragan Bender then went fourth to Phoenix. Dunn, Hield, and Murray followed by going to Minnesota, New Orleans, and Denver respectively.
Multiple reports said that the Sixers were offering Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, and the 24th and 26th picks to both Boston and Minnesota for the right to select Dunn. If that was the case, it would've been entirely too much for a player that:
1. Plays the deepest position in the NBA.
2. Isn't a slam-dunk prospect due to a questionable jumper, turnover issues, and some injury history.
3. Doesn't fit well on paper with the player that the Sixers just took first overall, a player that projects to function like a point guard.
At worst, Noel has the chance to affect the game as a rim protector off the bench that can move his feet. Think about what Tristan Thompson and Bismack Biyombo did on that end of the floor in these playoffs. Covington is a young rotation player that is making peanuts, a contract that is a real asset as the salary cap goes up. And truthfully, this is a draft where I wouldn't mind taking a couple of swings in the 20s.
After, Sixers coach Brett Brown said the team received more offers than they made.
"We were the recipient of more calls than calls going out," Brown said. "Just like everybody, I'm not going to get into the detail of the specifics, but it was an active phone."
To be clear, I like Dunn. I think he will be a successful player in the league. But with the haul that the Sixers were reportedly (key word there) offering, Dunn would need to be much more than successful.
The Sixers appear to still have a frontcourt logjam and no starting point guard for 2016-17, but that might not necessarily be such a bad thing.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
