Sixers poised to make move at trade deadline

76ers general manager Sam Hinkie has made several eye-popping moves since he was hired in May 2013. What he'll do before the NBA trade deadline at 3 p.m. Thursday is an intriguing topic.

With $19 million in salary-cap space and one roster spot available, Hinkie is in the market to acquire an expiring contract from a team looking to dump a salary. If the price is right, he'll also take unheralded players he believes can contribute in the team's system.

The Sixers were involved in trade discussions with various teams Wednesday, but a source said there were no guarantees that anything would happen. The one thing we do know is that the Sixers purposely left a roster spot open for flexibility at the trade deadline.

Another certainty is that the Sixers are in desperate need of a point guard with Michael Carter-Williams sidelined with a strained right big toe. His backup, Tony Wroten, had surgery to repair a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee Feb. 3. They have no timetable for his return.

The Sixers expect to add a point guard in time for their game Friday against the Indiana Pacers at the Wells Fargo Center.

The question is, will he come in a trade or on a 10-day contract?

"I don't know. I would feel reckless even guessing," Sixers coach Brett Brown said of the team's trade deadline plans. "We've learned over the years that sometimes this time period is highly overrated, where nothing really happens. That wasn't the case with us last year, where everything did happen. . . . I think it's just all on the table."

Brown said the Sixers practiced Wednesday as if the current roster would remain intact come Friday.

"I love this team," he said. "They are great. I hope I see them tomorrow."

Luc Mbah a Moute is one guy the Sixers could move. The power forward is in the final year of his contract. He is the team's glue guy and the Sixers would love for him to remain past this season. But based on his career-best offensive numbers, there should be some suitors when he becomes a free agent July 1.

The Sixers won't receive anything for the 28-year-old if he joins another team as a free agent. They would, however, be assured of getting something in exchange if they moved him by the trade deadline.

"I'm not thinking about it," Mbah a Moute said of possibly being traded. The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder said he has not contacted Brown or Hinkie about the possibility.

"If I see something tomorrow, then I will be as surprised as you," he said. "I don't think about it. I'm worried about playing on Friday against Indiana. That's my main goal now."

Mbah a Moute sat out the final scrimmage Wednesday to rest a sore knee. He should be ready for Friday. Brown said Carter-Williams' injury is "still a concern because of the soreness."

The second-year point guard did not practice Wednesday. Carter-Williams missed the three games heading into the all-star break because of the injury. He ignored a reporter's repeated questions about his toe as he left the practice gym at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

"He's gone through all of the treatment levels he needed to go through," Brown said. "But we just felt right now because of the soreness, it just wasn't wise to put him out there. We will reassess it tomorrow."

Guard Jason Richardson participated in his first five-on-five scrimmages since he hurt his left kneecap in January 2013. The 34-year-old was winded, as expected, as he ran with the first unit at the end of practice. The Sixers are not sure when he'll play his first game.

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