June 17, 2017: Sixers Trade for #1

This is something I have been avoiding for the nearly two years I’ve had this website. It’s time. On this day in 2017, the Sixers made their big move. They went from #3 to #1 with the intention of drafting Markelle Fultz. To say it didn’t work out is a colossal understatement. Here’s what happened.

THE Calendar

To simply say this was the day the Sixers and Celtics agreed to swap #3 for #1 is to ignore all the effort that got both teams to this moment. For the pick itself, the story starts on July 12, 2013 when the Brooklyn Nets, flush with cash under their Russian oligarch owner, decided they wanted to be a contender immediately and under any cost. To make this happen, Nets GM Billy King traded for the aging heroes of Boston’s 2008 title: Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Going to Boston in the deal were several unprotected #1 picks plus a pick swap in 2017. The whole endeavor flopped spectacularly with the Celtics getting Jaylen Brown in 2016 then swapping their 27th pick in 2017 for #1 overall. A true masterpiece by our nemesis Danny Ainge. He wasn’t done.

For the Sixers part, their story starts with a seemingly minor trade that Process heads had been dreaming on for two years. On July 9, 2015, in a misguided attempt to gain cap room, decided to trade the Sixers Nik Stauskus, Carl Landry, Jason Thompson, a 2019 1st, and a 2017 pick swap for Artūras Gudaitis and Luka Mitrović. Well, it’s the Kings, so the plan didn’t work out. Come 2017 lottery time, the Sixers ended up at #5 with Sacramento at #3. The picks swapped. It would be Boston at #1 and Philly at #3…for the time being.

With Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons already on the roster, Dario Saric never coming over despite already being here, and Robert Covington and TJ McConnell proving to be Process success stories, it was really a shame that it was Boston picking at #1 and not us. Why? Because the sure fire top pick in the draft was the 3 level scoring combo guard that this team really needed. We already had the size and the defense, we just needed the straw to stir the drink. In every way, this was Markelle Fultz. With Lonzo Ball almost assuredly going to the Lakers with the 2nd pick, we were left with the other guys: Josh Jackson couldn’t shoot, De’Aaron Fox couldn’t play defense and also couldn’t shoot, same for Dennis Smith Jr. There was one other guy in the running though, but he was boring. Seriously, maybe he was ok at everything, but Jayson Tatum was just another role playing Dukie. Sure, I guess, but no thank you. (THIS IS REALLY WHAT WE ALL FELT LIKE!!!)

A Definitive Ranking of Obscure Sixers Injuries

With the draft just a few days away, word leaked out that the Sixers were trying to do the unthinkable, they were going to get their man. Rumors swirled, but on June 17th, 2017 it was all but official. The Sixers had traded #3 and either the Lakers pick (if it landed between #2 and #5) in 2018 or a Sixers/Kings pick in 2019. All that was left to do was bring Fultz to Philadelphia for a work out and a meeting and wait for the Draft 5 days later.

There were some red flags. Because they had the #1 pick, the Celtics had met with Fultz and also Jayson Tatum. No one on the Sixers thought it was curious that Boston only wanted to move Fultz AFTER meeting with him??? Then there were bad reports coming from the Sixers meeting. He didn’t play well and interviewed worse. There are two possibilities here. Either the Sixers never saw these as red flags OR they did see them, but got scared to not draft the guy they traded up for (not unlike Sonny Weaver contemplating passing on Bo Callahan in Draft Day). Both scenarios are pretty bad. They made the trade so they had to make the pick.

The 1984 NBA Draft

History has been VERY unkind to this trade to say the least. While on paper, Fultz looked like the perfect missing piece, he was a head case with some kind of injury situation. I have to say that vaguely, because we still do not know what happened to cause Fultz to completely forget how to shoot. The thing that made him special coming out of Washington just up and left him some time after Summer League but before training camp. The opposite happened for Tatum. Everything that was boring about him became supercharged upon getting to the NBA. Tatum has a ring and likely a ticket to the Hall of Fame one day while Fultz is out of the league and yet another unforced error by Sixers decison makers.

Postscript: There is a popular thought out there that the Celtics got very lucky with Tatum. I don’t believe that for a minute. What’s more likely, that Danny Ainge got lucky or was sure that he was dealing with a patsy making the decisions for Philly? He saw both guys up close and KNEW Tatum was the guy and Fultz was not. Had the trade never gone down, I have no doubt that Tatum would have been the #1 pick and the Fultz situation plays out exactly the way it did anyway. He simply knew Bryan Colangelo was a dufus. BC wanted Fultz and Ainge used that to his advantage by getting the goods AND getting his man. Ainge wasn’t leaving anything to chance, he knew what he was doing.

Tradre Specifics: Basketball Reference

Photo: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports