PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Philadelphia 76ers are making a run at the worst record in the NBA.
The team made a flurry of moves before the trade deadline, including a blockbuster move that sent former first-round pick Evan Turner and forward-center Lavoy Allen to Indiana for forward Danny Granger and a 2014 second-round pick, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because the deal was still pending league approval.
In other trades Thursday, the Sixers traded center Spencer Hawes and acquired guard Eric Maynor.
At 15-40, the Sixers are four games ahead of Milwaukee for the right to have the most pingpong balls in the draft lottery. Trading Hawes and Turner, a former No. 2 overall pick, puts them in full tank mode as they look to 2015 and beyond.
Turner, a No. 2 overall pick in 2010, was averaging a team-high 17.4 points. He’s making $6.7 million this season and will be either a restricted or unrestricted free agent after the year. Granger makes $14.02 million in the final season of his contract. He has averaged 8.3 points this season.
For Hawes, the Sixers got forward Earl Clark, center Henry Sims and two second-round draft picks. The 7-foot-1 Hawes is averaging 13 points and 8.5 rebounds, and was in the final year of a contract.
Clark is 6-foot-10 and can play both forward positions. The five-year veteran, who signed a one-year contract with a club option in July, is averaging 5.2 points in 45 games. The 6-10 Sims is averaging 2.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 20 games. He’s in his second season in the league.
Maynor comes from Washington in a three-team deal in which the Sixers also acquired Denver’s 2016 second-round pick and New Orleans’ 2015 second-round pick. Maynor, the 20th overall pick in the 2009 draft, averaged 2.3 points in 23 games with the Wizards.
The plan for Philadelphia under first-year GM Sam Hinkie and first-year coach Brett Brown was to build for the future. The Sixers started the season with a surprise win over defending NBA champion Miami and were 3-0. But they’ve been losing consistently much to the delight of their fans, who want a top-3 draft pick.
The Sixers have lost nine in a row and have been getting blown out recently. No other team in NBA history had lost two straight games by at least 40 points each, but Philadelphia has done it twice.
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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis also contributed to this report
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