The Philadelphia 76ers reportedly are open to trading Rookie of the Year guard Michael Carter-Williams and would prefer to draft Australia's Dante Exum with the No. 3 pick of the 2014 NBA draft.
ESPN's Chad Ford reported on Wednesday the 76ers have "bounced around" the idea of trading Carter-Williams, largely because of the possibility of drafting Exum.
"(General manager) Sam Hinkie is an asset collector. There's no untouchables on the second worst team in the NBA right now. Carter-Williams may have over performed a bit this rookie year given the situation he was in. If a team blew away the Sixers with an offer for him, yes I think they'd consider it," Ford wrote on Wednesday. "They like Exum and if they got another piece for Williams that made them better in the long-term, I think they could be willing to let him go."
Carter-Williams was the only bright spot for Philadelphia last season, and his rookie campaign (16.7 ppg, 6.3 apg, 6.2 rpg) increased his potential trade value. Moreover, Philadelphia has the opportunity to replace Carter-Williams with Exum, the 18-year-old Australian phenomenon with tremendous upside.
"The Philadelphia 76ers are Exum fans as well, and if Wiggins is off the board, Exum will be in the mix," Ford wrote. "They think Exum and Carter-Williams could play together in the backcourt, although it would not be a very good shooting tandem. I think the more obvious fit comes if they trade Carter-Williams, an idea I'm told they have bounced around."
With the third pick of the draft, though, Philadelphia has options. Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Jabari Parker are widely considered to be the top three picks of the draft.
As Ford mentioned, Hinkie is an asset collector: Trading down may also be an option.
