NEW ORLEANS, LA – Following a series of face-to-face talks with Jerry Colangelo and Brett Brown in Philadelphia during the first week of February, Sam Hinkie described a few hypothetical situations that he thought might play out for the Sixers at the 2016 NBA trade deadline.On one hand, Hinkie said, the Sixers were in a “reasonably stable” state. Subsequently, at that time, he could envision a landscape in which the organization would take it relatively easy at the deadline, and pursue opportunities that would allow the Sixers to be “helpful” to other organizations in need of financial relief.
There was, however, another picture that Hinkie painted. He correctly noted that during his tenure as President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, the Sixers have done “big things,” and wouldn’t “be afraid to do something big” should the chance to do so arise again. When the league’s deadline for deals came to pass at 3:00 PM EST on Thursday, the first of these two scenarios seemed to best fit the nature of the Sixers’ activity. As part of a multi-team transaction, they obtained nine-year veteran Joel Anthony from the Detroit Pistons. Additionally, via the Houston Rockets, the Sixers picked up the Denver Nuggets’ 2017 second-round draft selection. In Anthony, the Sixers will be able to add another veteran presence to their relatively youthful roster. Originally an undrafted rookie free agent out of the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, Anthony has averaged 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 14.8 minutes over the course of his 465-game career. He spent the entirety of his first six seasons with Miami, and was on the club for the Heat’s NBA title runs in 2012 and 2013. The acquisition of Denver’s 2017 second-round selection is noteworthy given the fact that the Sixers sent their original and only second-round pick for that year to New Orleans as part of the December 24th swap that yielded Ish Smith. Compared to the previous two seasons, the Sixers were relatively quiet at this year’s deadline. The squad parted ways with established veterans Lavoy Allen, Spencer Hawes, and Evan Turner in 2014. Then, last February, the Sixers moved Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks, and K.J. McDaniels to the Houston Rockets. As Thursday’s deadline came to pass, the Sixers had just arrived at Smoothie King Center, where they conducted practice in preparation for Friday’s match-up with the Pelicans. Nerlens Noel witnessed the Sixers’ past two deadlines first-hand, and, along with his fellow players, did his best to keep the mood at the workout upbeat. “The vibe was good for it being trade deadline,” said Noel. “I think guys were being humorous about it as you can be. If things happen, things happen. The practice was good. We got it in, got up in down, and had a productive day.”Following the session, when their moves with Detroit and Houston were finalized, the Sixers were forced to create a roster spot for Anthony. As a result, JaKarr Sampson was waived. An undrafted rookie free agent from St. John’s, Sampson made the most of the Sixers’ player development program. The 23-year old forward emerged as a dependable defensive presence, and carved out a steady niche in Brett Brown’s rotation, averaging 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game the past two seasons.
