76ers expect Wroten to be ready for camp; still exploring trade options
The Philadelphia 76ers have once again opted to engage in a very quiet offseason, their rebuilding plan firmly a long-term one that doesn't involve making free-agent splashes.
While the efficacy of the strategy won't be known for several years, it's led to some short-term roster issues. Philadelphia has valued talent above all else, at times eschewing positional need and on-court fit. It's a prudent course of action as maximizing talent is far more important at this stage, but it does render Philadelphia thin at point guard for 2015-16.
Philadelphia ostensibly has four lead guards, but that's a bit misleading. Isaiah Canaan is really an undersized shooting guard, Scottie WIlbekin will be in camp with a non-guaranteed deal, and Pierre Jackson is on the comeback trail from a torn Achilles that's prevented him from making his NBA debut.
The only point guard on the roster with any track record at the position is Tony Wroten, who's recovering from a torn ACL that ended his 2014-15 season in January.
76ers general manager Sam Hinkie said Wednesday that Wroten is "on track" in his recovery, and the expectation and hope is Wroten will be ready for training camp in a little over a month. Not only did Wroten retweet that sentiment, he also retweeted this strange Tony Wroten meme:
— Max Rappaport (@MaxRappaport) August 19, 2015
Despite confidence in Wroten's recovery, Hinkie also said the Sixers are exploring a trade. While he wouldn't mention which position they're targeting, point guard would make plenty of sense. Philadelphia only has 12 players on guaranteed contracts and is substantially under the salary cap, so their options include just about any point on the market.
The most likely case is that Wroten, if healthy, enters the season as the team's starter at the one. He started 15 games last season and came off the bench for another 15, averaging 16.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.6 steals overall. He's not a particularly efficient scorer, but he flashed enough in his age-21 season that the Sixers would be well-served to give him a longer look to work through his mistakes.
That is, after all, what the current Sixers are all about.