2012-2013 Finish: 53-29

Season Highlight

Season Lowlight

The Sixers run at a title ended abruptly….. in a sweep to the spark-plugged Miami Heat. Only one game was close, Game 3 where Miami escaped thanks to a Stephen Curry and-1 play. All 3 other games were lost by 19 points. The Sixers walked off the court in shame. The sweep bug was contagious as the Heat got swept by CLE in the next round.

Best Trade

The Dallas Mavericks send Joel Przybilla and O.J. Mayo to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Dallas Mavericks send Brandon Bass to the San Antonio Spurs. The Philadelphia 76ers send Shane Battier, Rajon Rondo, Marcus Thornton and A.J. Price to the San Antonio Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs send Al Horford, Elliot Williams and Josh Selby to the Dallas Mavericks. The San Antonio Spurs send Kyle Lowry and Nicolas Batum to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers send a 1st-Rounder (NJ) to the San Antonio Spurs.

For what happened within the season, this was a great trade for Philadelphia. While the Sixers gave up NLL superstar Rajon Rondo, this trade opened up an opportunity for Damian Lillard to take control of the team. Lillard looks to be just what Philadelphia needed, a point that could score as well as make the right passes to get guys like LaMarcus Aldridge and Josh Smith involved in the offense.  Philly also got Kyle Lowry, OJ Mayo, and Nicolas Batum in the deal. Lowry would give the team 7.8 points per game while backing up Damian Lillard. Batum and Mayo would join the Sixers starting lineup and add to all of the team’s offensive weapons. Nicolas Batum would also eventually be used to get the # 1 overall pick in this year’s NLL draft. Even though Batum was traded and Mayo will likely look at other offers this summer, the two were vital pieces in getting the Sixers another 50-win season.

Worst Trade

There’s not a bad trade that I can really see for Philadelphia right now. All of the notable trades they made this season only seemed to strengthen their team.

Other Notable Trades

The Philadelphia 76ers send Nicolas Batum to the Boston Celtics.

The Boston Celtics send a 1st-Rounder (Hou) and 2nd-Rounder (SA) to the Philadelphia 76ers.

A trade that I consider out of the season, made before the draft. We’ll get to it later in “Looking To The Future.”

Best FA Signing

Ray Allen signs with the Philadelphia 76ers under the MLE for 1 year and $ 3,090,000.

Looking to win a championship, Ray Ray, or Jesus Shuttlesworth if you prefer that joined the storied Sixers franchise. By the look of stats, Allen had a major drop –off, going from a 20 + scorer and all-star, to a 7 point bench guy. But this is all Philly GM VT seemed to want, for Allen to be ready, and in 14 minutes per night, Allen gave the team 7 points per game, while shooting 47 % from downtown. Allen would’ve likely given the Sixers the production he had with the Hornets if he was given the appropriate amount of minutes.

Worst FA Signing

The Sixers didn’t make any significantly bad signings this season.

Star

LaMarcus Aldridge- 18 points, 8 rebounds, a steal, and a block per game….. for an NLL center, LaMarcus Aldridge was great. From the post to the mid-range the Sixers had a big man to count on all season long in Aldridge and he’s a key piece that is still under contract next year. Look for him to do more of the same.

Surprise

No big surprises in the City of Brotherly Love this year. When given the time, almost all did what was expected out of them.

Goat

Ehhh….I would say Josh Smith, but he was almost a 10 and 10 guy, with a steal and a block per game, in a backcourt with an All-Star in the LaMarcus Aldridge. I feel that once Josh finds a new team (which will probably happen this summer) he will be able to really get his shot. Just wait and see.

Draft Report Card

The Sixers started their summer off with a bang, trading Nicolas Batum for the 1st overall pick in 2013 NLL Draft. For the next couple of weeks, the Sixers front office thought about it…. and thought about it…. and they kept thinking about it, until finally they decided to select guard Ben McLemore out of Kansas. McLemore is thought to be one of few, or possibly the only player in this year’s draft with superstar potential by most, and the Sixers look for him to replace guard O.J. Mayo.

The Sixers also picked up Glen Rice JR, a D-League superstar who led his team to be the NLL D-League Champions. They then used their 3rd draft pick to get Rudy Gobert, who had the highest vertical in Draft Combine history. Gobert is very lanky, but the Sixers hope that he can help defense low in the post. The Sixers also picked up Florida forward Erik Murphy late in the second round. With these picks, the Sixers will look to add youth around a core of veteran players.

Looking to the Future

As said earlier, the Sixers traded starting small forward Batum for the 1st overall pick. If B-Mac lives up to his potential, the Sixers shouldn’t miss Batum at all. The trade will also give a much larger opportunity to Kawhi Leonard. The Sixers have put together a great backcourt for the future, with Damian Lillard and Ben McLemore; they could have a dominant duo for years to come. For the most part, the Sixers roster is still intact, with almost the entire bench still under contract for the next year. Unless they make major roster moves, look for the bench to stay the same.

Upcoming Free Agents

Josh Smith- Smith is said to being shopped by the Sixers in a possible Sign and Trade. ESPN reports that Smith wants to be on a team where he can be the # 1 option.

O.J, Mayo- Reports are saying that OJ Mayo also wants to get a major opportunity, and is likely to leave the City of Brotherly Love this summer. With the drafting of Ben McLemore, Philly is hoping they won’t miss him.

Pablo Prigioni- A big question mark. Will Prigs return to Philly? Does Philly really want him back? Will he get signed by another team if they don’t?

Mike Dunleavy- The one key bench piece the Sixers will most likely lose this summer. Dunleavy will definitely get picked up by someone else, every team needs good shooters.

Johan Petro- Won’t be missed.