The Philadelphia 76ers are 1-29 and the worst team in the NBA by a pretty wide margin, but they haven't just had their issues on the court. Philadelphia has been criticized a lot recently for its roster construction, as the team has a ton of young players but no real veteran leaders to help out the young guys. All three of Philadelphia's most recent first round picks have had their off-the-court issues, whether they were public (Jahlil Okafor) or private (Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel), but it seems like the 76ers are finally serious about bringing in a veteran or two, as Chuck Hayes and John Lucas reportedly met with head cocah Brett Brown, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Since the 76ers officially brought in Jerry Colangelo as chairman of basketball of operations, there have been some changes made and there have been talks of even more changes. Mike D'Antoni has already joined Brown on the bench, and the 76ers reportedly were in talks with Elton Brand and Shane Battier about joining the organization as someone for the young players to lean on. There hasn't been any progress in the Battier and Brand talks recently, but now they are finally looking to rectify the lack of leadership in the locker room.
Hayes and Lucas aren't exactly guys that move the meter in any way, and they likely will not help on the court much, but they are both considered very good teammates, and their longevity has been impressive. At this point, the 76ers are just looking for any type of veteran that can lead their young players in the right direction, and both Hayes and Lucas have been in the league for a while despite not being great players.
Hayes was in training camp with the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason, but he was cut toward the end. Hayes was not a free agent for long, though, as the Houston Rockets picked him up on Nov. 1, but he lasted just a week in Houston and appeared in just two games.
Lucas, on the other hand, was in training camp with the Miami Heat and drew a lot of praise from head coach Erik Spoelstra but was cut due to Miami having an extremely deep roster. Lucas hasn't come up in the news ever since, but either he or Hayes would provide the leadership the 76ers are currently looking for.
