Sixers make minor move before deadline

Talk about a letdown. After hearing rumors about the Sixers shedding salary by moving Andre Iguodala or Samuel Dalembert for weeks, this is all they could come up with? The Sixers have traded Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezec and a second round pick to the Milwaukee Bucks for Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson. Have you ever seen a more irrelevant trade?

Basically, this deal comes down to two teams trading deep bench players, as Ivey gets just under 10 minutes a game for the Sixers while Brezec has only played in 7 games. Apparently the big prize in the deal for the Sixers is Meeks, who is a rookie with a decent scoring touch. Elson is a complete nonfactor big man who has been injured most of the season, much like Brezec. To me, Brezec and Elson are a wash so the Sixers basically swapped a defensive guard in Ivey and a second rounder for a little better scoring with Meeks. The Sixers weren't likely so sign Ivey after this season, anyway, so really the trade boils down even further to the Sixers using a second round pick on Meeks, someone who they targeted in the draft last year.

While Meeks seems to have some decent upside, is this really the best Ed Stefanski could do? He couldn't make any moves to get the team more cap space for next year so they could sign someone to help them rebuild? Sigh, isn't it a great time to be a Sixers fan?

Not gone for long: Sixers re-sign Royal Ivey

Perhaps directly responding to my criticism that they were napping through this offseason, the Sixers have finally made a move in free agency. Unfortunately, this move isn't one worth getting too excited about because it is someone we are all too familiar with.

After opting out of his contract with the Sixers and becoming a free agent back in June, Royal Ivey has decided that the grass wasn't any greener anywhere else and instead will return to Philadelphia. Ivey originally turned down the remaining year on his contract with the Sixers where he was set to make 959,111 and instead signed a one year contract just above the league minimum, which is 959,111 for a player with 5 years of experience. So, it looks like Ivey opted out to make a few more bucks, although he won't see a substantial raise.

Ivey staying or leaving was never going to make much of a difference to the Sixers. He played sparingly last season, scoring very little but he did play solid defense when given the chance. He enters the guard rotation but isn't really an option at point guard, where the Sixers seem content with letting Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday run the show. Ivey will fight for playing time with Willie Green and Andre Iguodala at shooting guard, a fight that he will rarely win.

The signing of Ivey gives the Sixers 11 players on their roster for next season. Let's hope they still have a few more moves in them because this roster seems incomplete. A back-up center is still a must and another point guard would be nice.

Guards:
Jrue Holiday
Andre Iguodala
Willie Green
Lou Williams
Royal Ivey

Forwards:
Elton Brand
Thaddeus Young
Jason Kapono
Marreese Speights
Jason Smith

Centers:
Samuel Dalembert

Click here to see How they were built: Sixers, a complete listing of salaries and how each Sixer was acquired. I will update it with Royal Ivey's exact salary once it is announced.

Royal Ivey declines a second season with the Sixers

Now that the Lakers have brought home the title, the NBA offseason has officially begun. For the Sixers, the offseason is already in full swing as they made a deal just a few days ago for a shooter in Jason Kapono, and they have now learned that guard Royal Ivey won't be returning to the team. Ivey declined his option for the 09/10 season, walking away from a contract that would have paid him slightly less than a million bucks. Ivey wasn't much of a contributor for the Sixers this past season, playing about a dozen minutes a game and averaging three points while playing solid defense. Ivey likely thinks he can be a bigger contributor to another team, so he opted out to get more playing time elsewhere.

Losing Ivey isn't a big loss for the Sixers. Ivey could play both guard positions but he was a more natual shooting guard, and with Willie Green, Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala all under contract, he simply wasn't going to get much playing time. Losing him doesn't change their number one priority this offseason: getting a point guard. Whether they bring back Andre Miller or find someone in the draft, the Sixers have to bring someone in to run the show.

With the loss of Royal Ivey, the possible loss of Andre Miller and the impending departures of Donyell Marshall, Theo Ratliff and Kareem Rush, the Sixers currently have 9 players under contract for next season. Looking at their roster below, it is clear they are loaded with forwards and they will need to sign a pair of point guards and bring in a backup center.

Guards:
Andre Iguodala
Willie Green
Lou Williams

Forwards:
Elton Brand
Thaddeus Young
Jason Kapono
Marreese Speights
Jason Smith

Centers:
Samuel Dalembert

Sixers sign Royal Ivey, "Nut-puncher"

The Sixers have yet to take care of their two restricted free agent guards, Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams, but they are still working to fill out their roster, signing guard Royal Ivey to a 2 year contract. Ivey spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks after starting his career with the Atlanta Hawks and has developed into a solid defensive player off the bench. He doesn't put up great offensive numbers (he averaged a career-high 5.6 points per game last season) but he is a decent role player.

Of course, Ivey is a little more well know for his "nut-punching" abilities. Take a look at what he did last year to Aaron Gray of the Bulls:


Click here for Royal Ivey's career stats.

Not a bad depth signing, but how about signing Iggy and Lou now?