Inside the Sixers: Ready to pull the trigger on a deal?

One year ago, the 76ers watched the trading deadline pass.

The reason was as simple as a foul shot: Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski believed in his young nucleus. The belief made sense. His team - the core of which was that young nucleus - was on its way to making its second straight playoff appearance. The Sixers seemed to be one of a handful of young NBA franchises with better days ahead, not in the rearview mirror.

A year later, that vision has been tossed into a blender. This season's Feb. 18 trading deadline is rapidly approaching, and chatter within the league has the Sixers as one team likely to make a move.

On Thursday, Stefanski said: "We're very active in talking to teams throughout the league, and we're listening to any option to improve the basketball team. . . . I don't think there are any untouchables."

For the right price, no player has ever been untouchable, but the team's 15-31 record seems to have thrown open the doors.

What follows is a list of the Sixers most likely to be traded, and those least likely.

MOST LIKELY

1 ($14.9 million this season, $51.2 remaining, including a $15.9 million player option for 2013-14.) Trade rumors don't create themselves - most of the time. And with Iguodala, they are not just rumors: The Sixers have taken calls and made calls about Iguodala.

Last season, Iguodala's play mirrored the Sixers' as a team, meaning on the rise. This season, he appears to have slipped, and his relationship with the fans - always tenuous - seems to be hanging by a thread.

Stefanski said he would make a trade only if he gets "value back, basketball-wise," which seems to rule out a deal with the Houston Rockets for Tracy McGrady's $23 million expiring contract. But the crunch of trading deadline could always change that scenario.

Other possibilities include the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. If Iguodala is traded, it's almost certain he'll go to one of the contender franchises, because they are the only ones that might be willing to take on his hefty contract.

2 ($5.0 million this season, $17.8 million remaining.) Lou Will's slide from the anointed one to doesn't-get-off-the-bench against the Los Angeles Lakers has been remarkable. Earlier this season, trading Williams seemed impossible. He was coach Eddie Jordan's go-to guy for a stretch and seemed to be in the midst of a breakout season.

A broken jaw and the signing of Allen Iverson has shifted his fate, leaving his future with the team uncertain and Williams - as confirmed by ESPN.com - mentioned in trade talks.

What makes Williams desirable is his relatively affordable contract combined with an explosive upside (remember, he was averaging 26.3 points a game for a short stretch in November). When other GMs suggest that if they're going to accept a hefty contract it must be paired with young talent, Williams fits that description.

3 ($11.4 million this season, $12.2 remaining.) Surprised? Yes, Dalembert's $3.5 million trade kicker, along with his rather expensive contract, has made him impossible to trade. But as his contract nears its end - only one full season remains after this one - the likelihood of finding Dalembert a new home increases.

Recently, Dalembert's play has been worthy of his paycheck, so it wouldn't be outlandish for a team needing inside presence to consider the previously unthinkable.

And keep this in mind:

Allen Iverson (prorated veteran's minimum, $650,000 this season). If a team in contention found itself with an injury, or in need of a sure-fire scorer for its playoff run, the Sixers would likely allow Iverson that opportunity.

LEAST LIKELY

1 ($14.9 million this season, $51.2 million remaining.) In the last few weeks, Brand has become the power forward Stefanski promised when he was signed in July 2008.

But will this monthlong resurgence be enough to persuade another franchise to take on his contract? Not likely.

Many sources have confirmed that Brand's contract, by itself, is untradeable. Stefanski has pledged to make only basketball decisions. Trading Brand's contract would require pairing him with more desirable players and contracts, lowering the possibility of receiving equal basketball value.

There's also the question about Brand's new-found effectiveness. Do the Sixers even want to trade him?

2 ($1.5 million this season, $1.6 million next season.) There are a few reasons Holiday won't be going anywhere. The kid is this team's future point guard, and his low-level rookie contract will bring back virtually nothing in return.

Now, when teams say they want talented toss-ins, this also means guys like Holiday. The only difference seems to be Holiday's insanely high upside.

More than in any season in recent memory, this coming trading deadline will almost certainly see the Sixers make at least one move. At least for a few weeks of this NBA season, the Sixers will be a topic of league-wide discussion.

Read Kate Fagan's 76ers blog, Deep Sixer, at http://go.philly.com/sports.

Posted 10:08 a.m., 01/28/2010

XmarksTheSpot

Iguodala is our best player. Period. Now with the team we have, that's not saying much. But he is a very good player. Is he worth his huge contract, no. I think mngmt thought that he would [be] though eventually. When Iguodala leaves and is playing well for a playoff team, the fans here [are] going to go, "Why couldn't he do that here?" Because this is not a well put-together team. We've got talent, that's for sure, but the pieces don't fit. Wheeling and dealing is the name of the game for our GM if he wants to keep his job. But not just for change. What is up with our NBA scouting department? There's talent on teams that might not fit where they are and could fit very well here. How's that Stephen Jackson trade working for Charlotte? And he was considered a misfit in GS. Right now the team seems to have a losing attitude. Like A.I. said, they're playing not to win but not to lose. With that kind of attitude, you will find ways to lose instead of ways to win.EndText