The NBA offseason is heading towards the end as training camps and the preseason approach and with the free agency period winding down as well, looking back it's interesting to see connections between players that signed, especially with Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, who were involved in a mega-deal the previous offseason.
Dwight Howard decided to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after just one season after being traded in a blockbuster deal with Bynum and now he is the centerpiece of the Houston Rockets. Howard went from the Orlando Magic to the Lakers in a four-team deal, while Bynum was shipped from LA to the Philadelphia 76ers, although he never played a single minute for the team. At the time of the trade, each side seemed hopeful about the deal, but looking back it's clear that the Sixers missed out on the most, although that fits into the plan of rebuilding they are currently in.
General manager Sam Hinkie just hired a new head coach after a very long search and this offseason the team traded Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans for the number six pick in the draft in Nerlens Noel. Many felt that Noel could go number one, but the Pelicans selected him before trading him to the Sixers. When the team acquired Bynum they knew there was a chance that he would not play after dealing with knee issues and although there were times it seemed he was close to returning, things never materialized. Bynum was a free agent this offseason and after interest from a number of teams, he signed a two-year deal worth $24 million and the contract includes $6 million guaranteed in the first year.
The 76ers feel they are in a nice position to rebuild with young players like Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and Noel, but clearly they gave up more than they received in the deal with Andre Iguodala heading to the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors signed Iguodala in the offseason to a contract and the Magic basically look best in the deal after originally getting Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless and Josh McRoberts as well as a number of draft picks. The team is rebuilding as well and just drafted Victor Oladipo and it will be interesting in 2013 to see how Bynum performs.
Both Bynum and Greg Oden are coming back from major knee issues and it is interesting from the Lakers and the Sixers perspective about how the injured center will perform. The Lakers have overhauled their roster with names like Chris Kaman, Wesley Johnson and Nick Young and the season with Howard on the roster was basically a disaster. Now both sides are talking about it afterwards with the Buss family saying Dwight was never a Laker anyway. Clearly it is hard for the Sixers to be happy about the deal, but they like the young talent they have and the Magic do as well.