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NBA Rumors: Sam Hinkie Steps Down As Sixers GM; What’s Next?

By Dylan Hughes

Dec 15, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (left) talks with general manager and president Sam Hinkie (right) before a game against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (left) talks with general manager and president Sam Hinkie (right) before a game against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA Rumors: After years of trusting in The Process, Sam Hinkie has officially stepped down as the President and GM of the Philadelphia 76ers

The Process is over. After three seasons of being the Philadelphia 76ers general manager and president of basketball operations, Sam Hinkie has decided to step down.

Philadelphia is now expected to hire Bryan Colangelo or Danny Ferry as the team’s new GM, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Hinkie was not asked to resign by the Sixers as they actually pitched for him to remain with the organization, but with another top executive beside him.

Hinkie understood his role was majorly being diminished with Jerry Colangelo already there – he was hired by the Sixers earlier this season – and now a fresh face expected to be added to the front office. Instead of allowing his unique vision for the Sixers’ rebuild to change paths, he decided to step away.

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Since becoming the Sixers’ GM (2013-14) the team has won a total of 47 games – Golden State, San Antonio, Cleveland and Toronto have won more games than that just this season. Albeit that is by design, it is an embarrassment nonetheless, especially since the team hasn’t built much of a core that will be competitive in the near future.

Hinkie’s main goal while at the helm was to collect assets, and he did just that. The team could have five first-round picks in just this year’s draft alone, along with two second-round picks. Philly has also netted 10 extra second-round picks for the 2017-2021 drafts.

The luck of Hinkie wasn’t very good in Philly, as the prospect he wanted never seemed to fall to him in the draft. Joel Embiid had all the potential in the world, but foot injuries have not allowed him to appear in a single NBA game yet. D’Angelo Russell was the lead guard the team had been searching for, but the Lakers decided to take him right before Philly’s selection.

Now, they probably have to choose two of Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Embiid – but that’s not Hinkie’s problem anymore.

It would be fitting if the Sixers landed this year’s top pick, allowing them to take Brandon Ingram to fill another position of need (yes, Robert Covington is a nice player, but positions 1-3 still need to be filled). Hinkie would probably scare his neighbors with loud shrieking on lottery selection night if that were to happen.

This exit has not been drama-free, of course, making it a fitting one for Hinkie. He has reportedly not told anyone on his staff of his resignation yet.

The Process took too long and was rather embarrassing for both the Sixers and the NBA, but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t working – especially if the team did grab one of this year’s top two picks. But ownership ran out of patience, in which they showed by the hiring of Jerry Colangelo and now looking for another executive to hire.

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Philly’s front office will definitely be in a better place this offseason compared to last, but who knows if Hinkie’s departure will really help or hurt the organization in the short and long term.

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