Philadelphia 76ers saving cap space for a trade?

Apr 16, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) reacts after a basket by forward Thaddeus Young (21) in the second half of a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena. The 76ers won 100-87. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports /

The Philadelphia 76ers took tanking to a new level in the 2013-2014 season – they lost 26 games in a row and finished 19-63. One of their rookies, former Kentucky Wildcats’ big man Nerlens Noel, sat out the whole season rehabbing from a torn ACL while their other first-rounder, former Syracuse Orange point guard Michael Carter-Williams, was the Rookie of the Year.

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Rather than trying to upgrade their talent, the 76ers used players and cap space to facilitate trades and collect assets. According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the 76ers are likely saving cap space for a trade much like they did last season.

"The Philadelphia 76ers lead the NBA with the most available cash under the cap with a whopping $23.58 million available, with an additional $2.646 available by renouncing the cap holds on Byron Mullens, Charles Jenkins and Adonis Thomas. The 76ers are the lone remaining team with massive cap space. However, they do not seem overly engaged with anyone on the free agent front. Last season, the 76ers carried a massive amount of space all season, ultimately using it at the trade deadline to acquire Danny Granger in a cap clearing move with the Indiana Pacers."

The 76ers will likely be among the worst teams in the NBA again even with the long-awaited debut of Noel and the probable improvement of Carter-Williams. The third-overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, former Kansas Jayhawks’ big man Joel Embiid, could miss a large chunk of the season or perhaps all of it and the 12th-overall selection, Croatian forward Dario Saric, will be playing in Europe for at least one more season. However, there is a lot of talent that will eventually play together.

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