The Philadelphia 76ers only highlight to the disappointing 2013-14 season was rookie Michael Carter-Williams. The point guard turned out to be a quality draft pick over Nerlens Noel, giving fans some hope for the future. His 16.7 points per game and 6.3 assists earned him Rookie of the Year honors as Carter-Williams looked to be a future building block for Philadelphia. However, general manager Sam Hinkie likes to sell high and Carter-Williams could be on the move before he gets to make any kind of lasting impact.
Hinkie is a trigger-happy type general manager who loves nothing more than a good draft day trade. The Philadelphia Inquirer describes the general manager as someone who "wants to buy things that are undervalued and sell things that are overvalued. Sometimes this basic philosophy becomes obscured by the buzz surrounding the analytics that determine those valuations, but that is the guts of it. Buy low, sell high."
Carter-Williams' stock is very high at the moment. Winning Rookie of the Year does a lot for one's value and the 76ers would find a trading partner pretty quickly who is willing to give up a fair amount for a young star on the rise. However, would Hinkie really trade away a player that could be a center piece of the franchise for years to come?
Hinkie's history says yes. Last year, the general manager traded Jrue Holiday on draft day after he put up 17.7 points and 8.0 assists while making his first All-Star game. The move was shocking and set up a terrible season for the 76ers. However, the team did get two first round picks resulting in Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel. Now, the point guard is overvalued on the market after leading the rookie class in scoring, rebounds and assists. However, there are downsides in his game considering he really only prefers zone play and he shot just 26.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Fans would revolt if Carter-Williams was traded, but the move fits Hinkie's plans. If the team can trade the point guard for more draft picks, players like Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid could be the future in Philadelphia. Several teams might be willing to make a deal for Carter-Williams like the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks, but neither team has draft picks to give up in return.
Along with a potential trade of the reigning Rookie of the Year, Hinkie is looking to retain Thaddeus Young despite him entering the final year of his contract. Young faced trade rumors for most of the year, but remained on the roster. He could be the more favorable trade over Carter-Williams given his expiring contract, but the 76ers favor his 17.9 points and 6.1 rebounds. Hinkie has several moves up his sleeve, so fans should not rule anything out at this point.
