The Philadelphia 76ers would likely have a hard enough time trying to lure players to their organization as is, with their being in the midst of the longest sustained run of transparent self-sabotage in NBA history.
And yet, the Sixers' brass - specifically their general manager - have reportedly managed to make Philadelphia into an even less attractive basketball destination than it might otherwise have been.
Sam Hinkie's oft-vexing practices as GM, and his consequently eroded relationships with player agents around the league, has led those agents to steer their clients away from the Sixers, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pompey specifically cites Hinkie's penchant for not returning agents' calls promptly, or at all, as one of the reasons for his deteriorated relationships with agents. Ahead of this past summer's draft, Hinkie reportedly wasn't given permission to interview Kristaps Porzingis during the Latvian big man's predraft workout. And the player Philadelphia ended up drafting instead of Porzingis reportedly wasn't keen on playing for the 76ers himself.
"Sources say that (Jahlil) Okafor's camp wasn't in favor of him playing for the Sixers during the draft process," reports Pompey.
Draftees, of course, don't get to choose where they start their careers, so even if Okafor and his camp were indeed opposed to the idea of playing in Philadelphia, the Sixers were free to ignore that disinclination and draft him anyway.
When it comes to free agency, though, that equation changes. The Sixers haven't been players of any sort on the free-agent market since the start of Hinkie's tenure in 2013, when "The Process" started to become part of the basketball lexicon. When they do finally decide to try and become a competitive team, they may find adding the requisite personnel through free agency difficult.
Pompey reports that one particular agent said in October that he doesn't want his max-level clients in Philadelphia, and that he'd only encourage his mid-level players to sign with the Sixers if the team is willing to exceed market value with any contract offer.
Hinkie's damaged reputation among agents and players likely contributed to Sixers ownership's hiring of Jerry Colangelo for a theretofore nonexistent position (chairman of basketball operations and special adviser) in early December. One source reportedly said at the time that Hinkie had, "for all intents and purposes, been fired."
Whatever the truth of that, Hinkie has so far been receptive to the presence of Colangelo - a former longtime Phoenix Suns executive and the current chairman of USA Basketball - in the front office.
"I think he's had lot of good advice and I had lots of questions there about ways in which we could do things better," Hinkie told Pompey. "And he's helped on that front already."
- With h/t to PBT
