The idea of trading Michael Carter-Williams is possible.
However, I find the thought ludicrous.
If a franchise is viewed comparable to the stock market as columnist Bob Ford suggested in Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer, then I understand why he brought the topic of trading the Rookie of the Year to the table.
If a franchise is viewed as a place to develop talent and build a team that contends for a championship, then I believe stability is essential. Look at the teams that are still playing this spring -- they all have cornerstones that were laid and then pieces were assembled around those cornerstones producing winning rosters.
Coach Brett Brown often refers to this rebuilding process the Sixers are in the midst of as a three- to five-year process. He looks at Oklahoma City as an example of how to develop talent and build a winner. He certainly looks at San Antonio in the same vein, though the Spurs are so much further along in the process. The Spurs have sustained their success for a decade and a half and have four championships to show for it.
But when you look at San Antonio you do not see a revolving door, at least not where the cornerstones are concerned.
The Spurs lead their Western Conference semifinals series, 3-1, over the Trail Blazers. They are hoping to get back to the NBA Finals for a second consecutive season.
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San Antonio is led by a 31-year old point guard in Tony Parker, who is averaging 21.0 points and 5.4 assists per game during the postseason. Parker is also shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from behind the arc in the playoffs.
That same Tony Parker as a 20-year-old won his first NBA championship in 2003. He was a second-year pro. That year in the playoffs, Parker averaged 14.7 points and 3.5 assists a night, though he shot just 26.8 percent from long distance.
The Spurs beat the Nets in six games in 2003, and despite the championship there were rumors that summer of trading Parker for then-Nets point guard Jason Kidd, who posted more impressive numbers during the series.
San Antonio decided to stay the course with its investment in the young French floor general. Two more championships followed.
Let’s get back to the idea of trading the current Rookie of the Year. Dante Exum is presumed to be the best point guard in the upcoming NBA draft. It is his presence in the draft that generated the conversation of the Sixers' trading their starting point guard for a second straight offseason, leaving the door open to draft Exum and presumably acquire a draft pick in the process.
Last year, the Sixers parted ways with first time All-Star Jrue Holiday so they could take Carter-Williams and give him the starting point guard spot.
Carter-Williams is younger than Holiday, but more importantly, Holiday allowed the Sixers to acquire two young talents in Nerlens Noel and this year’s Pelicans’ first-round pick.
But at some point a team has to show it believes in its analysis of talent. Brown refers to next year as “growing their own.”
Exum is an 18-year-old prodigy from Australia who has a similar build to Michael Carter-Williams. He is 6-foot-6 and has a 6-9 wingspan. Like MCW, Exum does struggle with his outside shot.
Exum played extremely well during the U-19 World Championships last year. As a result, he decided to declare himself eligible for the upcoming draft, forgoing the opportunity to attend college.
Other than his accomplishments in the World Championships, there is little to go on analyzing Exum’s talent against the likes he will face in the NBA. He is an intriguing talent, yes, but there is a lot of unknown to whom he will become.
Exum’s father did play college basketball at North Carolina and later played for the Australian national team. Brown was the coach of that national team and thus knows more about the younger Exum's game than most.
Still, if the Sixers have interest in Exum I hope it is because they believe he could play with Carter-Williams and not in place of him. Brown suggested that the Sixers take the best player available in the draft. From there the team can figure out how the pieces fit with those that already exist.
Carter-Williams played on the second-worst team in the league this year and therefore his stats may be a reflection of simply “someone had to do it.” But anyone who watched him play and progress can see that MCW is an NBA talent who can get to the rim, rebound and see the floor very well because of his 6-foot-6 height.
Carter-Williams is a cornerstone that will continue to develop. He was part of the original plan -- one that deserves to be seen through. It’s a plan the franchise should not deviate from just because the stock price has risen. Who’s to say that stock doesn’t continue to escalate?
Stay the course.