Last year, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired injured center Nerlens Noel in a draft-night trade. The Kentucky big man, who tore his ACL during his lone collegiate season, was forced to miss the entire 2013-14 NBA campaign.
This year could be more of the same in the City of Brotherly Love, as the Sixers might have to wait an entire season to see No. 3 overall pick Joel Embiid take the floor.
Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie told reporters Friday that Embiid, who underwent surgery June 20 to repair a fractured foot, might be out longer than anticipated
“I’ve seen reported some four to six months (for Embiid),” Hinkie said, via NJ.com. “That’s not the number I heard. The number I heard from the surgeon himself was five to eight months.”
Hinkie said the team will take a similar approach to how it handled Noel’s situation last season — one focused on the “long-term” future of the player.
“That’s all that matters,” Hinkie said. “Will we be smart about that? Of course. Will we be patient? Yes. If he can remain healthy, he can have a fantastic NBA career.”
The Sixers drafted seven players in all Thursday night and acquired Croatian forward Dario Saric from the Orlando Magic in exchange for No. 10 overall pick Elfrid Payton. Saric is another player who won’t be seen on an NBA court anytime soon, as he recently signed a three-year contract to play professionally in Turkey.
