January 09, 2015
Just under a month ago, the Sixers acquired forward Andrei Kirilenko from the Nets in a deal that sent Brandon Davies back to Brooklyn. Kirilenko, however, has yet to report to Philadelphia and for that the team suspended him on Friday.
The reason Kirilenko failed to report is because he is in New York attending to family medical emergency.
*By all accounts, it's Kirilenko's pregnant wife.
There's also another layer here.
Did Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie lead Kirilenko or Nets GM Billy King to believe that he would be waived upon completion of the trade, and then ask him to report?
That appears to be the case, writes Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer:
According to two sources with inside knowledge of the negotiations, the Sixers had agreed to release veteran forward Andrei Kirilenko after the trade was consummated, but did not follow through on that handshake deal. Kirilenko, who played only seven games with the Nets this season, remains on the Sixers roster but has refused to join the team despite a request to do so.
"He might have an IQ of 150, but [Hinkie] doesn't seem to realize you have to deal with these people over and over," one league source said.
Could Hinkie have misinterpreted or misunderstood the alleged agreement with the Nets, who wanted to satisfy the desire of Kirilenko - a favorite of Russian team owner Mikhail Prokhorov - to become a free agent?
"No," said another source. [via philly.com]Needless to say, reneging on a deal that involves a player dealing with a family medical emergency is not a good look for Hinkie, who has spent his time as GM stockpiling second round picks like Scrooge McDuck.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Hinkie has been asking Kirilenko to report since shortly after the deal was finalized.
Kirilenko has wanted his release and an opportunity to sign elsewhere in the NBA.
After Philadelphia and Brooklyn completed the Kirilenko trade on Dec. 10, Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie repeatedly expressed to Kirilenko’s camp that there were no immediate plans to release him and asked Kirilenko to report to the team.
The Sixers wanted Kirilenko, 33, to start working his way back into playing condition and eventually be activated to play in games, which would set up the opportunity for Philadelphia to deal Kirilenko for an asset at the NBA’s February trade deadline. It is unlikely the Sixers would’ve kept Kirilenko past the trade deadline – either trading him, or buying out his contract. [via Yahoo! Sports]
If he was to be traded and never meant to be with the team long-term, it's surprising that Hinkie wouldn't respect Kirilenko's wishes to remain with his hospitalized wife. How many second round picks does one team need?
Since he's yet to play in Philly, losing Kirilenko won't have any on-court impact for the Sixers.
In the court of public opinion, however, this could be a big deal, especially if players or rival GMs are tentative to do business with Hinkie.
