You remember the night. After a brief moment of mass confusion, the Philadelphia 76ers traded Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans for Nerlens Noel and a 2014 top-five protected first round pick. It was an unexpected trade — Holiday, who had just turned 23 — was coming off the best season of his career. Yet Sam Hinkie saw an opportunity to reboot the franchise around in one fell swoop — a calculated risk that finally vaulted the Sixers into a necessary multi-year rebuild.
Holiday was ready to contribute now, and the marginally talented Sixers roster was stuck in NBA purgatory, doomed to early-round playoff exits and an abundance of Jiri Welsch and Arnett Moultrie-level draft picks.