By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor
At first, visions of salary cap flexibility dashed vanished and the Sixers deal to send underachieving center Samuel Dalbert to the Sacremento kings for Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni didn’t look to benefit the Sixers currently or in the future. Dalmebert had one thing going for him — a $12-million-plus expiring contract at the end of next season.
Spencer Hawes appears to be the key to the Samuel Dalembert trade. His six rebounds a game are far from eye-popping stats for a starting center.
Granted, the King James-Bosh-Wade Derby will be long gone by then. However, it’s still better to have cash available to add a veteran to what promises to remain a young nucleus next summer.
When breaking down the deal, we see the cap flexibility for next season and beyond sail away.
Hawes, a 7-1 center, is owed $2.3 million this year with a $2.9 million team option next year. If he steps in a plays well, great. If not, Ed Stefanski or his replacement can say good by to him.
Nocioni, however, will strip the team of cap flexibility. The 6-7 forward is owed $7.5 million, $6.85 million and $6.65 million the next three years, respectively. That’s roughly $21 million in guaranteed money. He better be a contributor for that price. In any event, the Sixers aren’t on the hook for Dalembert’s $12 million this year.
The Argentina native averages 11.3 points and four boards per game. He’s never started more than 43 games in his career, and barely cracked the Kings starting rotation last year. He appears to be nothing more than a role player off the bench. Umm, couldn’t the Sixers have spent the money more wisely next offseason?
Hawes appears to be the key to this deal, and he better pan out or Stefanski will have even more ‘splainin’ to do than he already does with the way he’s constructed the roster.
The Kings starting center last year, Hawes averaged six boards, 10 points and 1.2 blocks a night. A 7-1 starting center with six boards in 26 minutes an outing? He should get those number by accident.
Admittedly, we haven;t watched him play much. But, the numbers don’t do much to enhance our confidence that this guy can play. Say what you want about Dalembert, but at least he had athletic ability and was capable of having some decent stretches of games.
That’s not to say we’d still want Dalembert here. Trade him if you wanted to, Stefanski, but to lose $12 million in cap room next year for Hawes and Nocioni? We don’t get it. But, that;s why we don’t make the decisions. The Sixers team execs obviously know something we don’t. Now, Hawes and Nocioni have to show us what that something is.
Nocioni only has 2 guaranteed years left on his deal, not 3. His last year is a team option. Also, he was paid 7.5 million for this past year.
Thanks, Dave. I’ll double check the contract numbers. Hope you are right and I just got bad numbers. Make it a little better since you could likely deal him again in a year as an expiring contract.
thinking this might set up a deal between sacto and detroit; tayshaun prince and the seventh pick for dalembert and the fifth. still doesn’t explain philly’s motivation.