Sixers GM Sam Hinkie expressed optimism Tuesday about what Luc Mbah a Moute and Alexey Shved can contribute, but he seemed most excited about acquiring the Heat’s protected 2015 first-round draft pick, observes Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers wound up with those assets in the Kevin Love trade, though it appears like they’ll simply net cash from Tuesday’s Hasheem Thabeet swap once they waive Thabeet, as expected. In any case, Philadelphia has been a hub of activity the past few days, so we’ll round up the latest here:
- Hinkie also said Tuesday that he’s not sure whether Joel Embiid will play this season, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. The GM had said in June that the timetable for Embiid’s recovery from a broken foot was five to eight months. The team has yet to officially announce the signing of Embiid, though the No. 3 pick from this past June indicated Tuesday on Twitter that he had inked his deal, posting a photo of what appeared to be his signed contract.
- The Sixers aren’t concerned about reaching the NBA’s minimum team salary, Hinkie said, as Cooney notes. That’s not surprising, since the penalty for any club that fails to meet the $56.759MM salary floor is only that the team must distribute the difference between that figure and its team salary among the players on the roster.
- In Cooney’s estimation, Jason Richardson and Arnett Moultrie are more likely to reach buyout deals with the team than remain for the regular season.