Lately, it seems, the fans in Philly want to see the Sixers make a move an more specifically a big move to grab someone that they think will suddenly make the team elite. Names like Lou Williams, Tyreke Evans, Nikola Mirotic, and Mario Hezonja, among others have come up. Why would any of these guys or anyone else make sense at this point in “The Process”? I don’t know how you could look to get them and disrupt the patience that we’ve shown as a team and fanbase over the past few years. Looking at these guys, who could make sense?
Lou Williams:
The popular name because of his season so far with the Clippers, really serves no purpose on this Sixers team. He’s the sentimental choice after having originally selected by the Sixers in the 2005 NBA draft. But what does Lou really bring to the table. He’s a career 13 point per game scorer who can get you three assists and one steal per game. The other part of the equation is that Williams is 31 years old. If we’re to trust “The Process”, as we’ve been, then the Sixers won’t be ready to compete for a title until the 2020-2021 season. At that point Williams will be 34 and there’s no way he’s going to be a top performer for the team. If the Sixers were really just one player short of competing for the NBA title this year, then yes, Lou would help with his bench scoring. They’re not and there’s no reason for him to be on the team. He would just stunt the growth of younger, more talented players on the roster or that will be on the roster. So, the verdict on Williams has to be no.
Tyreke Evans:
A local guy that’s been on four teams in the eight years he’s been in the league, he’s the name that’s popped up recently as the Grizzlies are suddenly looking to move him. At 28 years old, he could still be around when the Sixers hit the 2020 season and may be able to be counted on for scoring and depth. But, he’s a free agent at the end of this year and will obviously be overpaid in the offseason. What’s the point of giving up the first-round pick that the Grizzlies apparently want in return, for a guy that you can’t guarantee will be here next year? This is the type of bad deal that Bryan Colangelo seems to like to make at the detriment to the overall development of the team. You could be pretty sure that Evans would stay, but he’s also a shooting guard and we just drafted Markelle Fultz to fill that position. As long as Ben Simmons is here, which should be a long time, you don’t need a shooting guard who you’ll have to overpay and have sit once Fultz returns to the team. The verdict on Evans and that value the Grizzlies are putting on him has to be a “no”.
Nikola Mirotic:
A soon to be 27 year old 6’10” power forward that people suddenly think is going to open up the floor with his shooting? He averages close to six rebounds a game and is a career 35% three-point shooter. So what value does he bring the Sixers? We already have that guy, his name is Dario Saric. I can’t even spend much more time on this one as he’s of no value to the team.
Mario Hezonja:
At 22 years old, he would seem to fit the profile and has good size for a small forward/shooting guard while standing 6’8”. The problem with Hezonja is that he’s another career 30% three-point shooter. What is the point in getting someone that’s not as good as guys that we already have on the roster? If you’re going to go after him, ask yourself why his rookie option wasn’t’ picked up by the Magic.
They’re the four most commonly associated names that people look at for the Sixers this year. Are any of them going to bring real value to the team or help them beat the Celtics or Cavaliers and get to the Finals where they’ll wind up meeting Golden State? No. They won’t and more so, the cost of getting these guys isn’t worth the value in return. The sad part is that’s just the type of equation that has Bryan Colangelos name and poor decision making written all over it. It’s a shame to look at the team and see the younger players here that aren’t getting time to see if they can develop or produce and instead we watch Amir Johnson and Jerryd Bayless continue to get minutes and waste our time. Why are they getting minutes? Colangelo. That can be the only answer. When you pay the kind of money they’re paying them, you have to play them, but they shouldn’t be getting that money and that’s all his fault.
As far as trades go, the Sixers can be buyers and add some pieces to the team, but not at the expense of any of our young talent. Get rid of Bayless, Johnson, Justin Anderson and Trevor Booker, if you can. What they shouldn’t be doing is shipping out first round picks or any of the guys that have been brought here to be part of “The Process”. This team was being built with patience in mind and it finally is starting to come together, so there’s no reason to try to speed it up. It’s not like the team is old and is seeking one last shot. They were built to be a championship contending team for years, while developing young talent as it’s core and continuing to bring in people to prevent the team from falling apart after five years, so why mess with that? There’s no reason to.
Philly fans, continue to be patient. You’ve done so well these past few years and it’s getting hard as they players are starting to put it together, but we just need to stay calm a little longer. It will all pay off in the end.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
