Thursday, July 12, 2012

Sixers complete 3-way deal for Wright

New Sixers forward Dorell Wright
PHILADELPHIA, PA. – The Sixers have acquired sharpshooting forward Dorell Wright in a three-team trade with Golden State and New Orleans.

Philadelphia also netted little used center Darryl Watkins from New Orleans in the deal in which the Sixers .   sends the rights to Edin Bavcic to the Hornets while NOLA shipped Jarrett Jack to the Warriors.

"We're very happy to get a player like Dorell Wright," said Sixers President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn. "We think his outside shooting and all-around game will be a great addition to our team and we look forward to having him in Philadelphia."

Wright was originally the 19th overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by Miami out of South Kent Prep in Connecticut.  In eight seasons, the 26-year-old has appeared in 354 games with 199 starts and is averaging 9.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.2 minutes per game while shooting 43.8% from the floor, 36.5% from 3-point range and 80.1% from the line.

After playing his first six seasons with Miami, and winning a championship with the HEAT in 2006, Wright signed as a free agent with Golden State on July 12, 2010.  Over the past two seasons, he started 143 of a possible 148 games for the Warriors, averaging 13.8 points.

Wright’s best season came with Golden State in 2010-11.  He started all 82 games, averaging career-highs of 16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.51 steals.  Wright led the NBA with 194 3-pointers made that season and ranked tied for 21st with 105 3FGM in 2011-12.

Watkins was not selected in the 2007 NBA Draft following his senior year at Syracuse but played nine games for Sacramento early into the 2007-08 season before being waived.  He signed with the Hornets back in April and appeared in five games, averaging 4.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game while shooting 50.0% from the floor.  Watkins had 13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in the final game of the season at Houston on April 26.

A native of New Jersey, Watkins attended Paterson Catholic.  In between his stints with the Kings in 2007-08 and Hornets this past season, Watkins competed in summer leagues, training camps and preseason games for numerous teams, including the L.A. Clippers, San Antonio, Houston, Cleveland, Dallas, Indiana and New Orleans.  Watkins has also spent time in the D-League and has played internationally in China, Lebanon and most recently, Greece.

Bavcic was originally the 56th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by Toronto.  The Sixers acquired his rights in a draft day deal in exchange for cash considerations.

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