In the Summer of 2013, the Golden State Warriors gave up two likely late first round picks in order to clear the space to sign Andre Iguodala.

In the Summer of 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers gave up Tyler Zeller and a first round pick in order to clear the space to sign LeBron James (though he had not committed yet).

In the Summer of 2015, the Sacramento Kings gave up Nik Stauskas, a protected first round pick and swap rights for two drafts to clear the space to sign… someone with the key pieces already off the market.

The trade for Philadelphia:

For those who wonder why Sam Hinkie and the Sixers keep their books so clean, it works because it makes them the first call for teams looking to do terrible deals like this one.

Philadelphia sacrificed basically nothing to make this deal happen- they are still below the salary floor for the current season and have about $20 million in space if they wanted to secure someone. The Sixers did give up a little 2017 flexibility but still have more than enough room to do whatever they like.

In return for giving up basically nothing, Philly received a mint. A future first round pick from the Kings that likely comes after DeMarcus Cousins will have hit unrestricted free agency the next time (it comes two years after Sacramento fulfills their current obligation to the Bulls via Cleveland) along with recent lottery pick Nik Stauskas and two options to swap first round picks.

Stauskas has been a disappointment early on playing in a suboptimal situation, but still has plenty of potential to become a useful NBA player if not more. With three more seasons on the rookie scale, the Sixers have plenty of time to evaluate the former Wolverines' potential and can always trade him down the line.

In terms of the pick swaps, Derek Bodner wrote a great piece summarizing their value: extra ping pong balls. While there could be some protection on the swap(s), they likely give the Sixers a few more chances at a top three pick and far more than that if we see any lottery reform in the near future.

It is possible the pick will take a while to come over (especially if it is top-10 protected and Cousins leaves) but it is still a present asset they secured for very little.

One final note that makes this trade even more amazing: the Sixers could absolutely trade Jason Thompson for an asset in the next 12 months. He can contribute as a big off the bench for a team dealing with an injury and carries a small commitment for 2016-17.

Grade for the Sixers: A

The trade for Sacramento: 

Argh.

Making this exact move on June 30th would have been bad but waiting until late in the day on July 1st took it to a whole new level of terrible. Numerous players in the Restricted market took discounts (though some reportedly did so without reaching out to many other teams) and all of the best options for the summer are long gone. That changes this from a move of opportunity like the Warriors and Cavs above to one of desperation.

Vivek Ranadive and company also gave up substantially more resources than the going rate to unload salary despite an increasing cap. After all, the Nuggets gave up a single protected first round pick from the Thunder (so, late first) to offload more than $20 million in salary for JaVale McGee less than five months ago. 

What makes this all worse is that the cap space created by the move is mistake fuel. Rumored targets like Rajon Rondo, Wesley Matthews and Kosta Koufos all fail to mesh with any competent vision for future success.

The Kings have a 24-year-old who is already one of the ten best players in the league with three more seasons of bargain team control. They have consistently failed to procure complementary talent and now will continue that trend while also weakening their cap flexibility for the remainder of Boogie’s time under contract.

We have seen franchises like the Bucks and Jazz build strong foundations in smaller markets without a building block like Cousins so it certainly can be done in today’s NBA. Instead, the Sacrameltdown continues for the foreseeable future.

Grade for the Kings: F--