The Sixers have been uncharacteristically quiet on the transactions wire so far this season, but it’s not necessarily a signal that new chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo is putting a halt to the team’s roster shuffling. After all, Colangelo said the deal that brought him to the Sixers came together within the week leading up to his December 7th hiring, so that would mean that about a month went by with GM Sam Hinkie in charge of the front office by himself. Between opening night and the end of November, the Sixers made only one roster move, signing Phil Pressey via the hardship provision. Pressey’s release upon the expiration of that exception is the only change the team has made to its roster since.
Philadelphia had already made four signings, placed five players on waivers, and pulled off one trade by this time last season. Tuesday is the one-year anniversary of yet another set of Sixers moves, as Furkan Aldemir replaced Ronald Roberts Jr. In a twist, the Sixers released Aldemir before the regular season began this year but eyed him for the roster spot that ultimately went to Pressey.
The relative stability of the Sixers roster is reminiscent of Hinkie’s first season in charge of the team. Philadelphia only made one signing and placed one player on waivers between opening night and New Year’s Day in 2013/14. It wasn’t until the leaguewide guarantee date in January 2014 that Philadelphia’s roster carousel really started to turn.
It remains to be seen how Colangelo will change the team’s approach, but just because the Sixers aren’t making a bunch of moves now, it doesn’t mean the team is abandoning “the process” of its radical rebuilding. Here’s a look at the changes the Sixers made to the roster each of the past three seasons between opening night and December 15th, a common trigger date for player movement across the NBA. (Bear in mind that the Sixers could still add to their total for this season):
2015
- November 4th: Signed Phil Pressey.
- December 4th: Waived Phil Pressey.
2014
- November 10th: Signed Drew Gordon, waived Malcolm Thomas.
- November 15th: Signed Robert Covington, waived Chris Johnson.
- December 5th: Signed Malcolm Lee, waived Drew Gordon.
- December 11th: Traded Brandon Davies to the Nets for Andrei Kirilenko and Jorge Gutierrez.
- December 11th: Waived Malcolm Lee.
- December 12th: Signed Ronald Roberts Jr., waived Jorge Gutierrez.
- December 15th: Signed Furkan Aldemir, waived Ronald Roberts Jr.
2013
- November 20th: Waived Kwame Brown, Darius Morris.
- November 20th: Signed Elliot Williams, Lorenzo Brown.