The Willy Wonka of GMs Finally Emerges With Two Three Team Deals

PHILADELPHIA --  Just as the times looked the bleakest for the legendary Philadelphia 76ers franchise and their no show “Willy Wonka”-esque GM, the StOfTheStep appears to have struck two three way deals. In order to fulfill CSL trade structure requirements, two separate deals make up the first three way deal. Part one of first deal involves the Sixers, the Indiana Pacers, and the Boston Celtics, in which:

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS Receive:
- Lance Stephenson
- Jimmer Fridette
- Marreese Speights
- Brendan Haywood
- Ian Mahinmi
- San Antonio Spurs’ 2nd Round Pick in 2017

INDIANA PACERS Receive:
- Ersan Ilyasova
- Mo Williams
- Randy Foye
- Denver Nuggets’ 2nd Round Pick in 2015

BOSTON CELTICS Receive:
- Quincy Miller
To round out the deal, the Sixers and the Celtics make the following move:
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS Receive:
- Keith Appling

BOSTON CELTICS Receive:
- Jon Scheyer

Just 43 minutes following the completion of the first deal, the Sixers had another trade waiting in the wings. In addition to Philadelphia, this one involved the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Here’s the trade summary:

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS Receive:
- Eric Gordon
- Derrick Williams
- Cleveland Cavaliers’ 1st Round Pick in 2015

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS Receive:
- Dwayne Wade

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER Receive:
- Ryan Anderson

So much for the conservative route… StOfTheStep wastes no time making a splash in the trade world. Furthermore, we have finally found our answer on what direction the 76ers are going. Inheriting a starting lineup with an average age of around 30, the freshman GM has manufactured a projected starting lineup just under 25. StOfTheStep had this to say about his busy day, “Prior to accepting my new position in the organization, I approached the management with my outlook of the franchise and possible scenarios. At the conclusion of that decisive meeting, we had general idea of how we wanted to address the roster but had no sense of urgency of having to make moves this year. Fortunately for us, we were able to find not one, but two favorable deals that harmonize with our initial plan for the team. Though we lost valuable experience, the return we received in through the transactions met and exceeded our expectations. We can’t help but feel thoroughly excited about the prospect of our present roster.”

Owner Joshua Harris echoed his GM’s reflection while praising his bold vision, “This is the exact reason we hired this gentleman to this high ranking position. He came in with a plan and wasted no time executing. Were the moves premature? Maybe, but only time will tell. I like the course the franchise is presently taking and approve these moves. So far, I think we made the right decision for our new GM.”


Although the ownership is fully on board with the move, it appears that City of Brotherly Love is carrying mixed feelings. Some fans, like Chris Speith, fall in line with the management, “I like it. I’m a fan of the youth movement. They might be a few years out of contention, but the blueprints are definitely laid out now.” Others are skeptical of all this drastic change. Matt Phillips had this to say, “I don’t get it. Just when I thought we were a move or two away from a contender, they go ahead and trade away Wade and Ilyasova. We’ll see what happens I guess, but I’m not too optimistic about it.” Unfortunately a move like this will probably take a while to truly gauge how favorable it was for the Sixers, but for the time being we’ll take a look at the big pieces that the 76ers acquired.

Arguably the centerpiece of the trade involving the Celtics and the Pacers, the Sixers received University of Cincinnati product, Lance Stephenson. Stephenson, 24, is a guard/forward who could develop to be a solid role player who has the ability to give his team the scoring boost at the end of games.


Former NCAA Division I scoring leader (2011) and consensus First Team All-American and National Player of the Year (2011), Jimmer Fredette, seems to be a lock to take over as the point guard for the new look 76ers. Once news broke regarding his movement to Philadelphia, Fredette sounded excited about his new opportunity, “I appreciate my time in Indiana and want to thank all the Pacer fans for their support through the past couple of seasons. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to my time in Philly. I’m gonna give it my all of there and prove to them they got the right man for the job.”


One of the key contributors of the impressive University of Florida repeat NCAA Division I National Championship years (2005-06 and 2006-07), Marreese Speights brings a strong power forward presence to Philadelphia. Though early reports have him slotted as a decent 6th man with upside, Speights is looking to continue his adjustment to the CSL style and bring his big bodied, hard nose nature to improve the Sixers presence in the paint.


In the more surprising of the two trades, Dwayne Wade finds himself packing his bags for Cleveland. “I can’t say that I’m completely shocked about being traded. The management has kept me well informed during this whole process. At this time, I would like to thank the Philadelphia 76ers organization for treating me so well over the past few years. Finally, thanks Philly for being so good to me. It doesn’t matter what anyone says, Philly is one of the best sports towns in the world.”


Even though the exodus of Dwayne Wade hurts, the Sixers were able to get some impressive young talent in return.

Looking to fill the huge shoes at shooting guard in place of Wade, incoming University of Indiana stud, Eric Gordon, hopes to continue his high scoring ways (currently averaging 24.1 ppg) in Philadelphia. An all-around basketball player, Gordon can contribute by both scoring the ball and defending it. This 25 year old already has six years under his belt in the CSL and seems to be just about to come into his prime here in Philly.


The second notable piece the Sixers brought in for the exchange of Wade’s services, is former University of Arizona forward Derrick Williams. The 2011 second overall pick offers a nice complement inside to the 76ers current star center, Andrew Bynum. With a strong ability to score and defend the basketball inside, Williams forms a strong forward depth along recent acquisitions Lance Stephenson,  Marreese Speights, and Philadelphia current young talent, Arnette Moultrie and Jordan Williams.

Derrick Williams greatly strengths the forward depth on the new look Sixers.

To cap off the second trade, the 76ers also managed to get Cleveland’s 1st Round Pick in the 2015 draft further strengthening their stock.

As previously mentioned, only time will tell whether or not these mega deals prove to be effective or a miserable experiment. Though you can honestly say that at least the new management is trying to save this struggling franchise, rather than letting it fall to the wayside without a fight.

Wow nice article man, great read!

I feel you now have few core pieces (Bynum, Gordon, Lance and Williams) locked into long contracts. Take your time, use your picks wisely, work in your guys preferences and find your PG to complete the lineup. I think if you remain patient and do the right moves, with Bynum and Gordon leading the way, the development of Williams, Lance and your picks, your team can compete for the ring in 1-2 seasons!

Yeah I think you greatly improved your chances of winning sooner as well as keeping a young core.  I think you made the right decision moving on from Wade and to get a younger Gordon a SF in Williams and a lotto pick was great imo. 

Lance was also a great get for the older Ilyasova and as long as you draft wisely in this upcoming draft, you will be in really good shape.

Great read and two big deals for you. Setting the team up for success in the future. Good luck

Love the fact that you came in and made this team your own. We will see what plan you have in place and if it pays off in the long run.

Great Read. I hope our deals help both of our teams.

Thanks for the support, everyone. I appreciate the praise on the article and transaction.

I like were our organization is right now and hope that I can bring it success. Just need to figure out what works for this roster now.

Congrats and thank you for the trade, RobIII(CLE). I hope that Wade brings you guys closer to the championship. Good luck for the rest of the year.

~Show Ya Luv~