The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to be on a downward spiral as the playoff nears and with things getting bleak for the rebuilding squad, they might pull the plug on several pending trades.
ESPN insider Chad Ford reported that the Sixers are just playing the waiting game right now, but they will eventually strike a trade involving Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner before the annual trade deadline next month.
Young and Turner have been involved in several trade rumors since the season started, but the Sixers look unwilling to trade either of them -- but they are actually very willing to do it.
Sources said that Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie is just waiting for the right offer to come. Hinkie knows that teams will be more willing to give into their demands as the deadline nears, giving them the chance of getting more valuable assets than what other teams are offering to them at this stage.
"Most teams don't make their best offers in January. Usually those don't come until the week of the trade deadline. So while there is clearly an incentive to trade now to lose more games, if Hinkie waits, he probably gets more value in a month than he does now," Ford noted.
Both players are expected to draw significant interest before the February 20 deadline.
Young is averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season, while also tallying an impressive 49.6 percent clip from the field.
Turner, on the other hand, leads the Sixers in scoring with 19.0 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 37 games this season.
Trading Turner and Young will officially signal the start of a new era in Philadelphia.
Sources said that Hinkie is set on building the team around rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel, who is having good progress in his recovery from an ACL injury.
Noel, the sixth-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, has been medically cleared to perform light basketball activities and could make his return in four to six weeks. This would give the Sixers a chance to evaluate their future Noel-and-Carter Williams dynamic duo.
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