Sixers reportedly 'shopped' Joel Embiid at the trade deadline

*Take this report with a grain of salt. Maybe two.*

'Shopped' is used in the title for lack of a better word.

In his short time in Philadelphia, Sam Hinkie has already become known for his willingness to part with players in order to acquire assets, and reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams proved to be no exception. The trade of Carter-Williams on last Thursday’s trade deadline was somewhat surprising, albeit not entirely unexpected. Trade rumors had surrounded Carter-Williams since summer, and with over 100 games played for the franchise, the Sixers had seen at least a small sample size of his work.

Image from nypost.com

The team was interested in obtaining another upcoming first round pick – which are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain outside of landing in the lottery – and they did so by moving a guy that they were obviously not completely committed to.  

More surprising however, is a recent report from Forbes.com that states that the Sixers were willing to discuss moves involving any player on their roster, including prized, yet-to-play lottery pick Joel Embiid.

From Forbes:

“In an unnoticed development at last week’s trade deadline, the 76ers were still trying to trade up for a top pick in this draft, indicating a willingness to talk about Joel Embiid or any player on their team, an NBA source told Forbes.com.”

Several factors have to be taken into account after reading the report. A ‘willingness to talk about Joel Embiid’ does NOT mean shopping, or actively trying to trade Embiid. Hinkie has emphasized many times that his ears are always open, and that he would entertain any offer that came his way. He considers it doing his due diligence. That does not mean he is out actively calling teams trying to trade the guy he drafted third overall less than a year ago.

By talking to teams, Hinkie can get any idea of league-wide interest in Embiid, or any player for that matter. It is just another example of him acquiring information. The Sixers, as currently constructed, are amorphous. They are still in the talent-acquisition phase, and are in no position not to listen to any and all available offers.

Trading Joel Embiid before he suits up for the Sixers would be eyebrow-raising to say the least, but getting a gauge on league-wide interest in him is just another example of Sam Hinkie doing his due diligence until he has a team in place that he thinks can contend. Reports like this will become increasingly common leading up to Draft day 2015. It is sure to be an interesting offseason for the reshaping Sixers.