Is Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams on the move? Grantland's Zach Lowe expects Philadelphia to shop Carter-Williams around for a trade sometime before the February deadline.
Carter-Williams was the subject of trade rumors last season, and it appears this season will be no different.
"They tried hard during the draft, but they couldn't draw the trove they envisioned or guarantee that the player they wanted with an acquired pick would be there, per several league sources," Lowe wrote Tuesday. "Expect Philly to repeat the exercise. It's not a shot at Carter-Williams, or even a signal the Sixers are dying to trade him. He may well end up a long-term cog in Philly.
"The team knows point guard is the most replaceable position in the league today, and it will seek out any deal that adds to its stockpile of high-value draft picks."
Carter-Williams won the 2014 Rookie of the Year award after averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. While he has upside, the point guard market is saturated, which lowers the return Philadelphia might get for him.
He's also coming off surgery to repair his right labrum, which likely hurts his stock early on. He's not expected to return to full-contact drills for another two to four months, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media.
Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie likes to collect assets, and with this season seemingly already tanked, this could be another season of building for the future. The Sixers also have more than $20 million in open cap space they need to fill to meet the minimum, which makes it probable they will be active around the trade deadline.
One possibility floating around is taking on the expiring contract of New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire in exchange for assets.
