Sixers annouce Bynum trade

PHILADELPHIA (The Phanatic Magazine) – The 76ers have confirmed that the team has acquired All-Star center Andrew Bynum and guard Jason Richardson as part of a four-team trade involving Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando.  

The Sixers traded forward Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets while sending forward Maurice Harkless and center Nik Vucevic to the Magic along with a protected first round pick.

"We are very excited to welcome Andrew Bynum, one of the league's best, young centers, and Jason Richardson, a proven, respected veteran, to the Philadelphia 76ers," said Managing Owner Josh Harris. "As we stated from the outset, our ownership group is committed to exploring every option available to us in order to improve our team. This trade is the culmination of a very active off-season, one that we believe positions the Sixers for success this season and for many years to come."

Bynum (7-foot, 285) was originally selected by the Lakers with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of St. Joseph H.S. in Metuchen, NJ.  In seven seasons, the 24-year-old has appeared in 392 games with 300 starts, averaging 11.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.60 blocks in 26.0 minutes per game while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor.

This past season, Bynum averaged career-highs of 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds for the Lakers and was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in his first All-Star appearance.  He ranked 20th in the league in scoring, third in rebounding, sixth in blocks (1.93 bpg) and fourth in field goal percentage (55.8 FGs).  Bynum joined Dwight Howard as the only players who averaged at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and 1.50 blocks in 2011-12.

Richardson (6-6, 225) was originally the fifth overall pick by Golden State in the 2001 NBA Draft.  The 11-year veteran has appeared in 805 games with 794 starts, averaging 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.17 steals in 34.6 minutes per game while shooting 44.1% from the floor and 37.2 percent from 3-point range.

Dating back to 2004-05, Richardson has hit the second-most 3-pointers of any player in the league (1,238), trailing only Miami’s Ray Allen (1,441).  He hit a career-high 243 3-pointers for Charlotte in 2007-08, which is the fourth-most by any player in a single season.

Iguodala (6-6, 207) was originally the ninth overall pick by Philadelphia in 2004 NBA Draft.  In 615 games for the Sixers, he averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.75 steals in 37.7 minutes per game.

Vucevic (7-0, 240) was the 16th overall pick by the Sixers in the 2011 NBA Draft.  As a rookie in 2011-12, he averaged 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game.

Harkless (6-8, 210) was the 15th overall pick by Philadelphia in this past June’s draft.  He was an early entry candidate for the draft following his freshman season at St. John’s.