It took almost three years longer than most people wanted it to, but today the Sixers managed to trade Samuel Dalembert. Sammy and his $12 million contract for next season is headed to Sacramento for youngster Spencer Hawes and veteran Andres Nocioni. While it's actually a little sad to see Dalembert leave after watching him man the middle of the Sixers backcourt for almost a decade, it was time, and the move does free up some cap space for Philadelphia, but it also comes with a few questions as well.
The first question is how this is going to affect who the Sixers draft with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft next week. While conventional wisdom had the Sixers taking Evan Turner with their pick, the addition of Nocioni gives the Sixers yet another athletic swingman, which is something that they don't need any more of. Trading Dalembert also leaves Philadelphia with a big hole in the middle of their defense, which is going to have to be filled. What that means is that the Sixers may have to pass on Turner and instead go after Derrick Favors from Georgia Tech. Favors is a younger, more raw player, but some people have said that he has Dwight Howard type abilities when it comes to his style of play. That's not to say that Favors is going to be like Howard, but it's something to keep in mind. Regardless, the Sixers do not need someone in the mold of Evan Turner at this point, regardless of how good he is. It just doesn't fit what they need at the moment, and that hurts to say, because Turner really is the second best player in this draft, and should be going to the Sixers.
Of course, the Sixers also have to look at the two players that they got back in exchange for Dalembert. First, Spencer Hawes is a decent inside-out big man, with a good wingspan and a decent shooting touch for someone that's seven feet tall. However, he's also not that strong, and for being seven feet tall, he should have better rebounding numbers than he's had during his career so far. While his shooting touch is something to look forward to, it's nothing to build a team around, as the Kings apparently found out. When a team would rather build around Samuel Dalembert and Jason Thompson down low for at least a season rather than you and Jason Thompson, that's a good sign that they've already given up on you, and considering that Hawes is only going into his third year in the league, that's not necessarily a good thing. Add into that the fact that he might be the player that the Sixers should hold onto in this deal, and he's a free agent after this coming season, and it's not a good thing.
Then, there's Andres Nocioni, who is a strong, tough defender that can shoot from the outside as well. While that doesn't seem like a bad thing, it does come at a price. Dalembert's contract was up after this year, giving the Sixers almost $13 million in cap relief. There was no way that Dalembert was going to come back to Philadelphia after this season, and his huge expiring contract made him a big trade target, but Nocioni is making decent money as well. Nocioni is on the books for at least the next two seasons at $6.8 million a year, and then he has a player option for $7.5 million for the next season after that. It's not a bad thing that the Sixers picked up Nocioni, but his contract is quite large, and is going to limit what Philadelphia can do in next year's offseason. Rather than make a push for one of the bigger free agents that's out there, now the Sixers have to pick from the middle of the pack, because they're actually only going to be cutting about $5 million off the books from Dalembert's contract.
Nocioni is a decent player, but he spent parts of last season coming off the bench in Sacramento, and had worn out his welcome there. He's more than likely going to be a bench player for the Sixers, and his contract is too big for a bench player. Sure, he's tough and is a decent outside shot, but his field goal percentage last year was a poor 39%, which isn't going to get it done when it matters the most. Who knows? Maybe he turns things around with the Sixers, but I wouldn't hold my breath when it comes to that. Nocioni has never been a full-time starter, and Hawes has potential, but isn't a game breaking type of player. While they'll fit in well in their places with the Sixers, they aren't the piece that this team needs to help them get to the next level.
All of the ramifications of this trade will be seen next week when the Sixers step up to the plate with the second pick. There are so many different ways that they could go that it would take a few days to explain everything. They could stand tall and make Evan Turner the pick, adding to their list of swingmen, or they could take Derrick Favors and bet on him being able to develop in a few years and become a dominant big man. Or, they could trade the pick for an established post player, such as one of big men from Minnesota, and go from there. No matter which way the Sixers go with this pick, it's going to help set where this team goes for at least the next few years. It might be a time of success with a younger team, or it might be a time where picking second in the draft becomes far to common. Either way, at this point next week, everyone is going to have a better idea what the Sixers had in mind when they made this trade.
It's not the worst deal in the world that they made, but it's not the best, either. There are still all of those questions that need to be answered, and they will be, eventually. Regardless, this next week is going to be interesting, and it should be fun to at least see what the Sixers are thinking about.
Good luck in Sacramento, Sammy. I'll try and remember the good times you had in Philadelphia.
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