During his tenure as Sixers general manager, Sam Hinkie was certainly unafraid to make deals.
He constantly sought value on the margins and, as our ranking of his five best trades should remind you, landed big a few times.
5. K.J. McDaniels to the Rockets for Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick (Richaun Holmes)
The 27-year-old McDaniels’ last NBA appearance came in 2017. Hinkie made the most of that second-rounder by taking Holmes, who showed flashes of his talent for three seasons in Philadelphia and has flourished with the Kings this year. “Canaan Ball” provided some entertainment and a high volume of three-point attempts during his stint with some bad Sixers teams. Not a dramatic victory for Hinkie, but a win solidified by a savvy second-round pick.
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4. Spencer Hawes to the Cavs for Earl Clark, Henry Sims, two second-round picks (Jerami Grant and Vasilije Micić)
Again, Hinkie’s second-round successes lift this trade. There was no reason for a team determined to rebuild to hang on to Hawes, a slightly above-average starting center at the time. Like Holmes, Grant showed promise with the Sixers before excelling elsewhere. Micić had a strong EuroLeague season with Anadolu Efes and it’s possible the Serbian guard could be in the picture for the Sixers soon.
3. Elfrid Payton to the Magic for Dario Saric, a 2015 second-round pick (Willy Hernangomez) and a 2018 first-round pick (Landry Shamet)
It’s also important to note here that Hinkie flipped Hernangomez to the Knicks in exchange for a 2020 second-rounder and 2021 second-rounder. He essentially turned Payton into Saric, Shamet — credit to then-interim GM Brett Brown and company for nailing that pick — and two second-round picks, one of which will be No. 36 in this year’s draft. With all due respect to Payton, that return far exceeds his talent.
2. Cenk Anyol and cash to the Denver Nuggets for JaVale McGee, Chukwudiebere Maduabum and a first-round pick (Furkan Korkmaz)
Anyol is 33 years old and has not played a minute in the NBA. Korkmaz (a Bryan Colangelo selection) leads the Sixers in made three-pointers this season. Even if that pick never amounted to much, securing a first-rounder in exchange for a non-NBA player is tremendous. Denver was clearly desperate to get rid of McGee’s contract.
1. Luka Mitrović, Artūras Gudaitis and a 2017 first-round pick (De’Aaron Fox) to the Sacramento Kings for Carl Landry, Nik Stauskas, Jason Thompson, the right to swap picks in 2016 and 2017 and a 2019 first-round pick (Later traded — Celtics took Romeo Langford)
To simplify this trade: The Sixers moved up from No. 5 to No. 3 in the 2017 draft and took the No. 14 pick in 2019, giving up two players who have yet to play in the NBA. Unfortunately for them, the Markelle Fultz trade with Boston squandered much of the return, but it’s worth appreciating in isolation. The deal still has to be considered one of the best in Sixers history.
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