FanPost

So you're saying there's still a chance?

"The Sixers apparently reached out to Avery Bradley within the first hour of free agency this summer, but it seems the Celtics still beat them to the punch, as the guard indicates to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link). "They were the first team that called and — we had other calls — but Boston, I knew I was coming back here," said Bradley, who re-signed with the C’s to a four-year, $32MM deal."

Offering a substantial deal to Avery Bradley confounds the theory that Hinkie is philosophically against signing free agents until after he's collected some number of studs through the draft. I would've been surprised and disappointed if Hinkie were indeed that dogmatic in his rebuilding philosophy. That he has a plan and sticks to it is great. I'm on board! But the best managers are also flexible and take advantage of opportunities however they might arise.

Avery Bradley averaged 15 points and shot close to 40% from the 3point land, in 60 games with the Celtics. In four years with Boston, he's never played more than 64. For me, he's tainted merely because he played for the Celtics. Whatever objectivity I can bring to the analysis says he's not a world beater, and perhaps not even a potential all-star. Apparently, Hinkie saw a potential opportunity to acquire a needed shooter at a below market price.

Now, according to unverified reports, GM's think Hinkie plays hardball. A diss to some, that's a compliment to me. While some think the Sixers'll miss out on trades because Hinkie always tries to go for the gusto, it makes me confident that when he pulls a deal, like with Thaddeus Young, its the best return we could have gotten. He can buy a car on my behalf anytime.

If Hinkie's approach to trades is similar to free agency, and the draft for that matter, then he's probably looking to "win", i.e., get a player who's undervalued because of short-term injury concerns. Hence, the attraction to Avery Bradley.

More importantly, the offer to Bradley suggests to me that behind the scenes Hinkie has probably made attempts at Eric Bledsoe. Being a significantly better player than Bradley, it stands to reason Hinkie would want him AT THE RIGHT PRICE? He didn't get in a bidding war over Bradley, and for that reason I trust he wouldn't overspend for Bledsoe.

Here's a wrinkle. Bledsoe wants max money, but he won't get it without signing his one year qualifying offer and seizing an opportunity to prove he deserves it. The problem is the Suns saw this coming and signed Isiah Thomas, whose presence simultaneously cushions the impact of Bledsoe leaving while at the same time prevents Bledsoe from coming back and putting up ridiculous statistics. Bledsoe will get his if he goes back to Phoenix. But he simply cannot put up max player numbers while sharing the ball and scoring duties with Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, the Morris twins, PJ Tucker, TJ Warren, Plumlee,

Bledsoe headlong towards free agency next year is not good for Phoenix, either. They risk losing him for nothing, just like the Sixers with Thaddeus and Minnesota with Kevin Love. By signing Isaiah Thomas they're can successfully compete without him. So if I'm Hinkie, I'm offering Jason Richardson and the Miami #1 pick next year to Phoenix for a year of Eric Bledsoe. With the Sixers, Bledsoe will have all the opportunity in the world to put up the numbers he'll need to lobby for a max contract next summer. And the Sixers can decide then whether to give it to him.

We know for a fact that Hinkie emphasizes secrecy. So, its reckless for me to be so confident that we've made overtures. And even if Hinkie's lowball offers are rejected, we may never hear about them. What pleases me, however, is that the verified interest in Bradley demonstrates how reckless it is to assume that we are finished in this year's free agency period, that we didn't make significant offers to other free agents that signed elsewhere, or that we won't use our cap space on a free agent this summer or next.

I'm not against standing pat. If the Sixers go into the season as is, I'll be watching the development. But I maintain that Bledsoe, Greg Monroe, even Ramon Sessions or Andray Blatche, are free agents that could be useful to the Sixers, AT THE RIGHT PRICE!

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