T-minus 24 hours
The 76ers, a team that once seemed destined to make a splash at this season's NBA trading deadline, looks like it will hold onto its young core and Andre Iguodala, according to multiple league sources. One GM cautioned that the Sixers might be sniffing around a few minor deals, but nothing that would touch the Nuggets-Knicks deal for Carmelo Anthony or the Jazz-Nets deal for Deron Williams. And nothing that, as yet, was in any solid form.
T-minus 24 hours
The 76ers, a team that once seemed destined to make a splash at this season's NBA trading deadline, looks like it will hold onto its young core and Andre Iguodala, according to multiple league sources. One GM cautioned that the Sixers might be sniffing around a few minor deals, but nothing that would touch the Nuggets-Knicks deal for Carmelo Anthony or the Jazz-Nets deal for Deron Williams. And nothing that, as yet, was in any solid form.
Yes, as of right now things are quiet on the Sixers' trading front. The pieces being considered as tradeable are the obvious ones: Jason Kapono's $6.6 million expiring contract, Darius Songaila's $4.8 million expiring, and Andres Nocioni and his approximately $13.5 million remaining over this season and next. Teams have inquired about the availability of Marreese Speights, whose playing time has dwindled, but the Sixers won't easily part with one of their big men, a position at which they're already weak. At last season's trading deadline, the Sixers acquired Jodie Meeks from the Milwaukee Bucks for Royal Ivey and Primoz Brezec. As one GM offered, he could see the Sixers making another minor deal like this one -- using the aforementioned expiring assets. Otherwise, expect this trading deadline to pass without a move. The Sixers will consider buying out Kapono, who could then sign with another team, if they can't include him in a deal, or find him a deal, before the deadline.
According to a source, the Sixers have nothing going with the Portland Trail Blazers, whose center Marcus Camby could be a nice (albeit aged) addition to the team's frontcourt. Earlier in the season there were rumblings about acquiring Los Angeles Clippers' center Chris Kaman, but now it appears the price for such a trade would be too steep for the Sixers.
As this season has progressed, it's become clear that coach Doug Collins has built a very strong, cohesive roster and that has certainly cooled the Sixers' potential interest in making a roster-shaking move. Collins himself said after Monday's practice that he doesn't forsee a move.
Still about 24 hours remaining, so we'll be on it until then. If you want more immediate info, follow on Twitter: Deep Sixer.
--Kate
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Unfortunate. They would make the playoffs with or without Iguodala at this point. Penny-wise and pound foolish.— dmanns- This writer cracks me up....a "strong roster". Not even .500% in a league where two thirds of the teams they play stink on ice. — JonKap
- 25-16 in their last 41 games (or half a season). They will be over .500 in a week from now. For a town that is supposed to be so sports knowledgeable, the hate towards this team is too much.
Elton Brand worst signing ever - maybe we were wrong
Turner total bust - maybe we were wrong
Trade Iggy - Maybe we were wrong.
It's time to give this team a chance. Also, our team right now is better than the Knicks and Carmello has made it through the first round only once. We'll see what happens when the honeymoon is over in NY— Setdawgy - I suppose they could let the expiring contracts expire and have that money to eventually make a run at a certain Mr. Dwight Howard? Yes. Let's start clearing cap room for Mr. Howard . . .— Leegles
- Melo was the only guy I would trade iguodala for.. Now that he's off of the market iguodala is an untouchable.— combocancer1975
- as the roster is constructed now, i still think they're better than the knicks. if somehow, someway they can trade for a serviceable F/C who can defend, I think they have a shot at pulling off the upset in the 1st round against the bulls.— bboybeballin
- There really is nothing to do. They need a center and there is nobody out there who could really help. I agree with Leegles, this team needs to start looking at landing Dwight Howard as a free agent. I believe his contact is up after next season. Have the beancounters start crunching numbers. Have Cliff Lee make a secret phone call. This signing makes the Sixers a legit contender and will really bring the team back to prominence in Philly. There is only one fix for the Sixers and Dwight Howard is it.— syddan26
- I agree that the roster had more depth then New York, but isn't the long goal to build a contender? Shouldn't every decision be made with and eye toward that? By that logic, Iguodala can't be untouchable. His salary cap space would be better utilized to retain Young and pay developing cheap players.— dmanns
- I would have loved to see them make a move to get Deron Williams. We have better peices to offer the Jazz than the Nets: Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner and Mareese Speights. Deron William is a 20-10 guy and a top echelon point guard who plays defense too. Deron, Brand, Iggy and Young and Lou Williams off the bench would have been trouble for some team in the first round. But, the Nets got him and we're still searching for that upper echelon player.— MrBigDizzle
- We will not have cap room to go after a top free agent until Brand comes off the books after 2012-2013 season, so you can forget about Dwight (who is going to LA regardless), and thank Stefanski for that.— lenny429
- Dwight Howard will look for a team that can get him a ring and that has other superstars (since that's the trend in the nba now). Sixers have neither, so you can forget about Howard.— wreinheimer
- Gee, what a surprise. Like I have been saying for 2 years, no GM will touch Iguodala's contract. Forget his regular season stats, they know he fades in crunch time and his stats go down in the playoffs. The Sixers are stuck until he and Brand's deals have 1 year left and are trade bait.— JonKap
- While fans may have wanted Iguodala traded, I have never gotten the sense at any time this year, that the 76ers front office was in the mood to move him, or any of their other young players. Hopefully, the 76ers are bluffing, and are furiously working the phones. They shouldn't be fooled by "24-16 in the last 40 games", which has become the team's mantra. As some other posters, particularly Delaware Mike and Chuckw, have stated, this team needs upgrades, particularly in the frontcourt. The 76ers love swingmen, and Iguodala is a great example of that, but you don't win with "swingmen" being your best players unless their names are Jordan or Bryant, who both were/are guards who could dribble, pass, AND shoot.— 76erfn
- I cannot believe Comcast-Spectacor is content to have the ONLY team in the NBA with per game attendance under 70 percent this season (69.6), and 27th out of 30 in total attendance. Yes, the team is playing hard for Doug Collins and is often very entertaining, but those attendance figures tell me that the Sixers have not fired the imagination of Bball fans in this region, perhaps because they have never warmed to Andre Iguodala, perhaps because Evan Turner failed to make an immediate impact, perhaps because the brief "era" of Eddie Jordan so turned them off that they lost interest in the franchise, or perhaps because they fear the Sixers are simply returning to the coaching days of Mo Cheeks and Tony Dileo, simply first-round playoff fodder, particularly if they finish 7th, while the Knicks, one spot ahead of them, trade for yet another star (as well as Billups) and the Nets counter with Deron Williams. There is no real buzz about the team, except among some few die-hard posters on these sites, and the Front Office, somehow, some way, needs to create that excitement. Collins can only do so much; he cannot win in the playoffs with Spencer Hawes in the middle and with Speights only seeing the floor in shootarounds, and with teams with length limiting the effectiveness of Young and Brand. If Thorn and Stefanski essentially stand pat, then Comcast might just as well let them go and use that money to reduce ticket prices.— chuckw
- If we need a center and are into projects why not go after Thabeet. He is a gifted definder,rebounder,shot blocker everything the sixers need a young Samuel Dalembert type.— DVS 1
Keith Pompey has been an Inquirer reporter since September 2004. He takes over the Sixers beat after covering the Temple men’s basketball team for the past three years and Temple football the past two seasons. Pompey also previously covered the Penn and Drexel men’s basketball team and Villanova football team after initially focusing on high school sports.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh. Follow him on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers or reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
