What is the Sixers' next move?
It's clear that the 2014-15 version of the Philadelphia 76ers is not the final product. If that were the case, general manager Sam Hinkie would probably be dismissed. Immediately.
At a glance, the Sixers are in year two of their naked plan to rebuild. For the second consecutive offseason, the Sixers have dealt away their best player - first Jrue Holiday, now Thaddeus Young - and brought back little by way of immediate help. The Sixers are looking to maximize their lottery odds by being the worst team in the NBA. In that respect, Hinkie is performing admirably. The Sixers won 17 games last season.
But upon closer inspection, the Sixers have a number of questions left to be answered.
In the short term, the Sixers have the salary floor to worry about. Per CBA rules, teams are obligated to spend a minimum of 90 percent of the salary cap on the payroll. If the figure does not add up, the difference is distributed to the existing players on the roster.
The Sixers have just seven guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season, according to salary information from Basketball Insiders. That figure bumps to eight once No. 3 pick Joel Embiid signs his deal. The guaranteed total for those eight players comes to around $29 million, which puts the Sixers $28 million under the payroll minimum for 2014-15.
The consequence is that the Sixers have boatloads of cap room, but they haven't been linked to either Eric Bledsoe or Greg Monroe - the two remaining free agents of note. Both Bledsoe and Monroe are quality players, but that would clash with the Sixers' plan to lose. There's also the matter of the Sixers already having incumbents at point guard and in the frontcourt with their recent draft selections in Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Michael Carter-Williams.
There are also questions to be answered in the long run, as well.
For example, they hold five draft picks in the 2015 draft. Given that they drafted eight rookies (two first round, six second round) this offseason, do the Sixers really have room for five more newcomers?
Even if they do choose to bring in a fresh crop of youngsters, there can't possibly be enough playing time or opportunity for proper development. In a lost season, Carter-Williams was able to average 34.5 minutes per game while soaking up 25.7 percent of possessions. It's hard to imagine that there will be enough touches to satisfy each of a future lottery pick, Noel, Embiid, Carter-Williams and eventually Dario Saric.
The likely answer to both questions is trade, and for that reason, teams should fear the Sixers. The Sixers' brazen strip-mining has landed them with a handful of prized trade gems. Not only do they have draft picks and prospects, they also have limitless cap flexibility to absorb bad contracts.
Consider the next Kevin Love, or Carmelo Anthony, or Dwight Howard - your average disgruntled superstar. The Sixers have trade assets in spades, and can help teams avoid the nasty business of actually having to tank for themselves. They're in prime position to cash out, and with cap flexibility, they figure to have the capability of making stars align via the free-agency route as well.
Or, Hinkie could simply hold onto his young players and stand pat, hoping for his high upside prospects to blossom. There may not be enough playing time on the major league roster, but there's plenty of possessions to go around in their D-League affiliate. They could conceivably stash their bounty of second-round picks with the Delaware 87ers. If not talent, Philadelphia at least has multiple stakes in the ground.
No matter what the endgame, it will be interesting to see Philadelphia's next move.