In this edition of rewinding the clock in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers, we’re headed back to 2012. The Sixers were expected to really make a big step forward as they made a surprising run to the Eastern semifinals as the No. 8 seed and were one win away from the conference finals.
Considering their success, the Sixers swung for the fences and participated in a big 4-team deal that brought All-Star big man Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia. The big man had just averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds for the Los Angeles Lakers and the expectation was that he would lift Philadelphia to new heights.
ESPN ranked the deal as the 11th biggest superstar trade in recent history. The deal involved the Denver Nuggets, the Orlando Magic, and the Lakers as the Magic sent superstar Dwight Howard out to LA and the Sixers sent Andre Iguodala to Denver.
The trade
Los Angeles receives: Dwight Howard, Earl Clark and Chris Duhon
Orlando receives: Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Christian Eyenga, Josh McRoberts, Maurice Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, a 2013 second-round pick, a 2014 first-round pick (via Denver or New York), a 2015 first-round pick (via Philadelphia), a 2015 second-round pick (via Lakers) and a 2017 first-round pick (via Lakers)
Philadelphia receives: Andrew Bynum
Denver receives: Andre Iguodala
ESPN rehashes the deal
Talk about a lose-lose-lose-lose. Howard and Iguodala left the Lakers and Nuggets, respectively, after one season, while Bynum never played a single game for Philadelphia, and only 26 more in his career. Orlando, on the other hand, got back a variety of draft picks — plus future All-Star Vucevic, who became the anchor of the team for the next eight years.
Remembering the deal from a Sixers standpoint
The Sixers were a scrappy bunch in the 2011-12 season as they were led by Jrue Holiday and Iguodala. As the No. 8 seed, they upset the Chicago Bulls and then pushed the Boston Celtics to the brink in the semifinals before pulling off this huge deal in the offseason.
Bynum was expected to team up with Holiday and give Philadelphia the inside presence they desperately needed in order to compete in the East. Instead, he never played a single game due to knee injuries and it derailed everything Philadelphia was hoping for in the 2012-13 season. Holiday was an All-Star, but the Sixers finished 34-48 and it triggered The Process…
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