The trade deadline has come and gone and Sam Hinkie did not disappoint. We asked our staff writers for reactions to the three trades on this second consecutive franchise-altering trade deadline.
TRADE 1: Sixers send the rights to Cenk Aykol to the Denver Nuggets for Javale McGee, the rights to Chu Chu Maduabum, and the OKC Thunder's top-18 protected 2015 first round pick.
J.R. Reynolds (@JR_Reynolds17): I liked this trade a lot. Not too big, not too small, but just right. Sure we are essentially paying Javale McGee's contract for another mid first rounder, but above all it gives us flexibility which is something Hinkie absolutely loves. With the Heat's pick and now hopefully this one, we can truly dominant draft night come summer time. – A+
Rob Bauer (@YoungTrone): This is a no-brainer slam dunk. Only downside is that Bobby Buckets really did deserve some of that salary-floor money, now it goes to a guy who gave himself the nickname "Pierre." Also, we got a guy whose last name is actually "Mad You're A Bum." What could possibly go wrong? – A+
Brandon Apter (@ApterShock): The Sixers are absorbing salary and receive a first-round pick. Not too much to see here. Great work by Sam Hinkie here. There's still a fair chance the Sixers will get to use this pick in the upcoming draft as well. – A+
Mike Angelina (@MikeAngelina): This trade was an absolute steal, as the Sixers do not have to worry for a second about the cap space, so taking on $12 million for a draft pick is an easy decision. – A+
TRADE 2: Sixers send Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee Bucks in massive 4-team trade netting the Lakers 2015 1st round pick (top-5 protected) from Phoenix.
Reynolds: The shock value of this one was nothing short of incredible. Just when you thought MCW might be staying, he's packing his bags and headed to the Bucks. This is the definition of a business move. The Sixers didn't see him as the guy obviously and its better to be off the train a year too early rather than a year too late in my opinion. They've floated his name out there numerous times already, but its still tough to see him go. Our return is also interesting and could very well give us our fourth first rounder this year or a potential first rounder next year. That balances the scale for me. – B
Bauer: MCW was good, not great. He was a legit nightly triple-double threat whose counting stats were aided by the Sixers frenetic pace. He had some flashes of greatness, and he also whined all the time and had terrible body language. I wasn't convinced he was the long-term answer so not sad to see him go. I wish that we could've traded the reigning Rookie of the Year for a known commodity (perhaps if this trade had happened last summer), but in all likelihood this was the best offer on the table. This is another one where ultimately only time will tell. – B
Apter: We all know that the Sixers had been shopping MCW before, so in reality the move shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Simply, it didn't seem like Sam Hinkie believed MCW was a player he could build this team around and traded him while his value was still high. Sure, trading MCW is confusing to many, but his offense left plenty to be desired. I think it is too early in his career to deem this trade as a win or lose, but personally I am sad to see MCW leave the Sixers. – B-
Angelina: To fully evaluate the Michael Carter-Williams trade, I think it makes a lot of sense to look around the league. There are point guards everywhere, and really good ones. Where does MCW rank among point guards? Outside the top 15? Probably. The reality is, he wasn’t that special of a player for the position he plays. There were three starting point guards traded Thursday, and he was the worst of the three traded. Plus, when you look at the draft board for 2015, it sure looks pretty likely a point guard, such as Emmanuel Mudiay or D’Angelo Russell. So, the Sixers would have less leverage than they do now to trade him, and who knows, he could blow his knee out or struggle the rest of the way and then his value really plummets. I’d anticipate the Lakers keeping the pick one more year, but in the vicious Western Conference, I’d expect the pick to be top 10. So they traded the 20th best point guard or so for a top 10 pick. What’s not to like? – A
TRADE 3: Sixers trade KJ McDaniels to Houston Rockets for Isaiah Canaan, and a conditional 2015 2nd Round Pick (likely to be Denver's).
Reynolds: I could go either way on this one. In my opinion KJ is a young and explosive player with a bit of flare. I would've liked to see a few more dunks from him in the Sixers blue, but that isn't entirely out of the question as we could still give him an offer this summer as Will proposed yesterday. But as we've seen already if Hinkie finds value else where for one of his current players, he doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger. – B-
Bauer: This was my least favorite trade of the day. I was in on KJ. Loved the blocks, saw the potential with his perimeter D and his shooting, appreciated his crazy Mom. Why not ride out the year and see what he gets offered, then just walk away (or sign-and-trade) if you don't want to match? (Perhaps I'm naive and it's simply inevitable that he gets a max offer). Glass-half-full view is that its a least possible that Jerami Grant is ultimately the better of the two, and only one was staying for the long run. – C
Apter: I think the Sixers take a significant hit defensively with this trade. Though K.J. seemed to lose a step or two when it came to shooting, he protected the rim with reckless abandon and had the ability to create some very exciting plays. This deal makes sense if Hinkie didn't think they were going to sign K.J. to a deal in the offseason, but the trade also leaves the door open for the Sixers to bring him back. Brett Brown has preached defense and McDaniels showed that he fit into Brown's schemes. – B
Angelina: I wish they had gotten more in this trade, given that KJ seemed like a special player. This is the only thing preventing me from giving Hinkie a perfect grade. Overall though, it was a very good day for Sam. – B+
What other deadline moves stands out to you?
Bauer: The upstart Bucks, who looked surprisingly legit until Jabari went down for the year, really downgraded going from Brandon Knight to MCW. McDubs is nice, but Knight was a borderline All-Star already. Feels like a trade they could easily regret in 3 years.
Apter: Beyond the Sixers trades, I would have to say seeing Kevin Garnett return to the Timberwolves would have to be my favorite deal of the day. Not only does KG get to go back to the team that drafted him, but Thaddeus Young moves to the Nets, where hopefully he can find his stroke offensively and contribute to that team moving forward.
Angelina: Hey, how about those Miami Heat? They have a pretty good-looking starting five now with Dragic in the fold. Not a bad rebound from losing Lebron.
