When the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Andrew Bynum as part of the four-team August blockbuster that sent Dwight Howard to the Lakers, they thought they had landed a franchise center. But Bynum has yet to appear in a single game for the Sixers as he’s battled chronic knee problems, and following a recent setback, things are looking bleak going forward:
The 76ers and center Andrew Bynum are considering arthroscopic surgery on the player’s right knee in order to clean out loose cartilage, a procedure that would likely end the season for the center for whom they traded so many young assets, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
Bynum suffered a setback in the form of swelling in his right knee following his participation in a five-on-five scrimmage, first reported in the Inquirer, last Friday. While the Sixers have been unable to practice recently due to the schedule, Bynum would not have been able to participate due to the swelling in his knee, which was also first reported by the Inquirer on Friday.
via Season-ending surgery a possibility for Bynum | Philadelphia Inquirer
This news puts the Sixers in a tough spot: Bynum is a free agent this summer, and if healthy, would surely command a max or near-max contract on the open market. Now, Sixers GM Tony DiLeo must decide whether he’s ready to mortgage the team’s future by giving Bynum that money without the guarantee that he’ll return at full strength. He may simply choose to cut his losses and chalk it up to a bold move that didn’t pan out.
Doug Collins has started to get restless about the return the Sixers got on the Bynum trade, and to be fair, they gave up a lot for him. Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless are blossoming in Orlando, and Andre Iguodala continues to be one of the most reliable and underrated defenders in the league as he helps power Denver to a playoff run. But the Sixers were a team treading water before the Bynum deal, and the decision to swing for the fences by bringing in a franchise-level talent, albeit one with some injury risk, is one any team would make. It doesn’t sound like Bynum will play anytime soon for Philly, but that doesn’t mean the call to trade for him was made in vain.