The Orlando Magic have acquired the draft rights to guard Elfrid Payton (10th overall pick) from Philadelphia in exchange for the draft rights to Dario Saric (12th overall pick), a second round pick in 2015 and a future first round pick (the pick that was acquired by Orlando from Philadelphia in the Dwight Howard trade), General Manager Rob Hennigan announced tonight.

Payton (6’3”, 190, 2/22/94) played in 100 career games during three years at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, averaging 14.3 ppg., 5.1 rpg., 4.9 apg. and 1.97 stlpg. in 31.6 minpg. He is the school’s all-time leader in steals with 197.

As a junior (2013-14), Payton played and started all 35 games, averaging a team-high 19.2 ppg., 6.0 rpg., 5.9 apg. and 2.29 stlpg. in 35.9 minpg., while shooting .509 (237-466) from the floor. He led the Ragin’ Cajuns to a 23-12 record and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005. Payton was named the 2013-14 Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year and a Lou Henson All-American. He earned First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors for the second straight season and was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Payton led the conference in steals for the second straight year with 80. He scored 20+ points 14 times, had 30-or-more points four times and attempted a school-record 302 free throws (second in the nation). Payton was also one of only ten NCAA Division I players to record a triple-double with 34 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists on Jan. 4 vs. Lousiana-Monroe.

During his sophomore season (2012-13), Payton played and started all 33 games, averaging a team-high 15.9 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 5.5 apg. and 2.42 stlpg. in 35.5 minpg., earning First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors. He was the only player in NCAA Division I to average 15.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 5.0 apg. and 2.00 stlpg. Payton led the Sun Belt Conference in assists and steals, ranked second in minutes played, third in scoring, fifth in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.60) and ninth in field goal percentage (.475).

As a freshman (2011-12), Payton played in all 32 games (11 starts), averaging 7.2 ppg., 3.6 rpg., 3.0 apg. and 1.16 stlpg. in 22.7 minpg., leading the team in assists.

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the 76ers:

The Sixers, the last NBA franchise left without its own practice facility, are looking at the Thunder and several other NBA franchises as they design their 120,000-square-foot practice facility and team headquarters in Camden. New Jersey awarded the franchise $82 million in tax credits over 10 years to build it on the waterfront.

None of this should be surprising if you think about what the Eagles have done with the NovaCare Complex. That’s the type of facility that most NBA teams have. Those days when Charles Barkley worked out at the St. Joseph’s Fieldhouse, sharing the place with the Hawks, are long gone.

In Oklahoma City, there are a heated lap pool, a car detailer, and a barber on site. Sure, they have a restaurant. Most of these places have cafeterias. But their goal is to have the best restaurant in Oklahoma City.

The idea is to make the practice facility a place that players will go to year-round. And if you can get a haircut just steps off the playing court, you’re more likely to step on that playing court. Or maybe get your leg iced while you’re getting your hair cut. Same for the restaurant. At the least, you get a nutritious meal. Best case, it gets you on the court or looking at film for a few extra minutes.

Here’s the Philadelphia Daily News reporting on the 76ers:

The 76ers are a step closer to building a dream practice facility in Camden, according to an NBA source.

Friday, the organization filed for a tax credit in New Jersey, the first process to landing the site, which is located between the city’s Aquarium and Susquehanna Bank Center.

“This is going to be the premier practice facility in the league,” the source said. “There are still other steps to go through to get it finalized, but it appears as if there should be nothing to hold up the process now.”

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that for the first time, 76 Sixers Draft parties will take place the day of the NBA Draft on Thursday, June 26. Fans throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware can gather at 76 locations to watch the Draft, win tickets, prizes and other giveaways, and mingle with local Sixers fans.

For the first time since 1984, the Sixers will have two top-10 draft picks at Nos. 3 and 10, along with five second-round picks (Nos. 32, 39, 47, 52 and 54 overall).

“We will have an unprecedented 76 Sixers Draft parties to match the size and scope of what this night means to our organization, and especially to our fans,” said Sixers Chief Marketing & Innovation Officer Tim McDermott. “We look forward to seeing our future unfold on June 26 as we gather together to watch and celebrate the Draft.”

Here’s the Philadelphia Daily News reporting on the Sixers:

Former North Carolina shooting guard and Texas Legends (NBA D-League) player P.J. Hairston will work out for the Sixers on June 11, his agent, Juan Murrow, confirmed last night.

The franchise has seven picks in the NBA draft, scheduled for June 26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Sixers have the third and 10th picks in the first round, and five second-round picks – Nos. 32, 39, 47, 52 and 54.

He is projected to be a late first-round pick.

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the Sixers:

The 76ers are eyeing Camden’s waterfront to build a state-of-the-art practice facility and offices to serve as their administrative hub, sources say.

The team has rented space to practice in the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in West Philadelphia since 1999 but has been looking for a site to build its own facility. The team would continue to play games at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia.

Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil did not comment on the potential move and said in an e-mailed statement, “We are continuing to do our due diligence regarding this project and are looking at a number of sites for our training center, which includes several locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”

Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams underwent successful surgery today to repair the labrum of his right shoulder.

The surgery was performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and his rehabilitation will be supervised by head team physician Dr. Brian Sennett of Penn Medicine.

“The health of our players is our primary concern,” said Sixers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie. “There were a number of healthy discussions between Michael, our medical team, several medical specialists and Michael’s representatives. After careful consideration and thoughtful research, we collectively agreed that it was in Michael’s best interest to move forward with the procedure now and allow for maximum recovery time.”

There is no timetable set for his return.

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that Michael Carter-Williams has been named 2013-14 NBA Rookie of the Year. He joins Allen Iverson (1996-97) as the only players to win the award in franchise history. Carter-Williams earned 104 of a possible 124 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters selected by the NBA.

“Michael made an immediate impact on the court this season, but his dedication, professionalism and contributions to both the organization and the Philadelphia community make him all the more deserving of this 2013-14 NBA Rookie of the Year award,” said Sixers Managing Owner Josh Harris. “This is an incredibly proud moment for the 76ers and one we are thrilled to share with him, the city and our fans.”

“Michael performed and represented the Sixers organization this past season in a manner befitting of the 2013-14 NBA Rookie of the Year,” said co-Managing Owner David Blitzer. “He never stopped working - from the moment he burst onto the national scene in our home opener through the final horn at last game of the season - and we are proud to congratulate him on this well-deserved award.”

Carter-Williams was the 11th overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2013 NBA Draft. The last “double-digit” draft pick to be named Rookie of the Year was Mark Jackson, who was the 18th overall pick by New York in 1987. The only other players who were drafted 10th or later and went onto win Rookie of the Year are Jamaal Wilkes (1974), Woody Sauldsberry (1957) and Don Meineke (1953).

“By opening night, it was clear to us that Michael belonged. This award marks a lifetime of hard work, from Hamilton to St. Andrew’s, and Syracuse to the Sixers,” said Sixers President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Sam Hinkie from an international scouting trip. “We congratulate him on this unique achievement and look forward to helping him put in the work necessary to garner even greater success in the future.”

In his NBA debut against Miami on October 30, 2013, Carter-Williams had 22 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds and nine steals. He became just the third player in NBA history to reach those stats in a single game. The nine steals tied the franchise record and were the most by a player in his NBA debut.

Carter-Williams went onto be named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from October 29 through November 3. Shaquille O’Neal is the only other rookie to be named Player of the Week to start his career. Carter-Williams was also named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the combined months of October and November, as well as January, March and April.

For the season, Carter-Williams averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 assists (tied for 11th in NBA), 6.2 rebounds and 1.86 steals (sixth in NBA). He became just the third player dating back to 1950-51 to lead rookies in points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game, joining Oscar Robertson (1960-61) and Alvan Adams (1975-76).

Carter-Williams joined Robertson and Magic Johnson (1979-80) as the only players to average at least 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in their rookie season.

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting:

No surprise here. Michael Carter-Williams will be named the NBA’s rookie of the year this week, sources have confirmed.

The 76ers point guard’s receiving the award, first reported Saturday afternoon by Philly.com, will be perhaps the most obvious and anticlimactic outcome of the 2014 NBA awards season.

Carter-Williams joins Allen Iverson (1996-97) as Sixers rookies of the year after posting one of the best campaigns by a first-year player in league history.

It was a season in which the 6-foot-6, 185-pounder was mentioned in the same breath as Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

Billions of dollars couldn’t completely console Philadelphia 76ers owner Joshua Harris this season.

Being the potential heirs of a franchise that matched an NBA-record losing streak comes with a few hardships as well not usually found in the luxury suites.

“When we lose, even in New York, kids come up to my family’s kids and say, “Hey, the Sixers lost 26 in a row. How do you like that?” Harris said. “We don’t like that. This is my doorman, he says to me, `Hey, can’t you get those players going?”

Get the Sixers going? That was never the point this season, not for a franchise that decided spinning its wheels in mediocrity for most of the last decade was never going to win them a championship. The Sixers needed to gut the roster, collect draft picks, build for the future and lose games.

And lose ‘em big.

So they did, including the whopping 26-game stretch that helped stick them at 19-63 and solidified a 19.9 percent chance at winning the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

Mission accomplished.

– Associated Press

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that they have signed guard/forward Adonis Thomas to a 10-day contract. Thomas is the 44th “Call-Up” of the 2013-14 NBA Development League season.

In 34 games for the Springfield Armor of the D-League this season, Thomas averaged 17 points, including 25 ppg over the final four games. He also shot 47% from three-point range, which placed him third in the league.

Thomas was also called up by the Orlando Magic on February 25, 2014 and appeared in four games.

An early entry candidate for the 2013 NBA Draft following his sophomore season at Memphis, Thomas was an All-Conference USA third-team selection and C-USA All-Tournament performer in his final season with the Tigers.

Thomas was the state of Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year in 2011 and appeared in the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoops Summit.

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the 76ers, who are at least working hard and trying to play competitive basketball

Give the 76ers credit: They didn’t quit.

Never mind that their fourth-quarter comeback came against the Brooklyn Nets’ reserves. The fact that the Sixers made things competitive was a moral victory for a team in search of silver linings.

In the end, the Nets escaped with a 105-101 victory Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

“Teams know that we are not going to lay down,” Sixers power forward Thaddeus Young said. “We are going to continue to fight, try to keep pushing.

“. . . We just kept playing, kept playing, kept playing, and then it started to click for us.”

Brooklyn (42-34) had a commanding, 21-point lead with 8 minutes, 28 seconds left in the third quarter. Chipping away, the Sixers (17-60) pulled within 12 points heading into the fourth quarter.

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that they have signed guard Casper Ware to a second 10-day contract. He signed his first 10-day contract on March 24, 2014.

Ware has appeared in five games for the Sixers this season. After graduating from Long Beach State in 2012, Ware played in Italy. He spent the 2012-13 season with A.S. Junior Casale and was named MVP of Legadue Basket. Prior to joining the Sixers this season, Ware was with Virtus Bologna of Lega Basket Serie A.

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the 16-58 Sixers, and Thaddeus Young, who is averaging 18.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game this season:

It hasn’t been an easy season for Thaddeus Young - the only player remaining on the 76ers roster from the team that came within one victory of advancing to the NBA Eastern Conference finals two years ago.

But given the Sixers’ record-tying losing streak and the fact that Young’s last three longtime teammates were shipped out at the Feb. 20 trading deadline, the 6-foot-8 forward has been an exemplary presence in his seventh season with the club.

“I just can’t speak highly enough of him as a person,” Sixers coach Brett Brown said Tuesday after the team’s practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“I’ve seen him endure this type of rebuilding, lose three friends, and go on such a long losing streak. But he’s still in the gym after he played 35 minutes [Monday] night in the little bit that’s remaining of the season. He still leads us, and he still competes. . . . I just have a lot of respect for the way he’s trying to close this season out, given where we’re at.”

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the 76ers, who were on a 26-game losing streak but finally won a game Saturday, beating the Detroit Pistons:

Break up the 76ers.

OK, maybe it’s early for that. But their 26-game, record-tying losing streak came to an end Saturday night. Dominating from start to finish, the Sixers defeated the Detroit Pistons, 123-98, at the Wells Fargo Center.

They improved to 16-57 while winning their first game since besting the Boston Celtics on Jan. 29. It was their first home victory since topping the Charlotte Bobcats on Jan. 15. Since then, they had lost 18 straight at Wells Fargo.

The Sixers downplayed the victory.

“It’s just like another win,” reserve guard Tony Wroten said. “It’s the NBA. You all are talking about the pressure. We weren’t worried about a streak. We were just trying to get better every day.”

Sixers coach Brett Brown said he never mentioned the losing streak to his team.

“I never went into a room and said, ‘We have to get out of the streak,’ ” he said. “We talked about, ‘Let’s bang out great days.’ I’m glad tonight that the win validates that.”

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that they have signed forward James Nunnally to a second 10-day contract. He signed his first 10-day contract on March 17, 2014 and was the 37th  “Call-Up” of the 2013-14 NBA Development League season.

Nunnally has appeared in five games for the Sixers this season. In 35 games for the Bakersfield Jam and the Texas Legends of the D-League, Nunnally is averaging 18.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. The D-League All-Star was also called up by the Atlanta Hawks on January 11, 2014 and appeared in four games.

The 15-56 Sixers are on a 25-game losing streak, and face the Houston Rockets tonight.

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting on the 76ers, who have a 15-56 record and have lost 25 games in a row.

The 76ers are the laughingstock of professional sports. They have been for weeks and have crept within one game of the NBA record for most losses in a row.

The league’s new commissioner has taken notice.

“You don’t like to see any team go through a losing streak like they currently are, or flirt with the longest losing streak in the history of the league,” Adam Silver told reporters Monday in Charlotte, N.C. “That’s bad for everyone. It’s potentially damaging to the players involved and the culture they’re trying to create.”

Sixers coach Brett Brown said Tuesday that he respects the commissioner’s opinion but added that Silver doesn’t need to worry about the Sixers.

“We are fine,” Brown said as the team prepared to play the Houston Rockets in what could be a record-tying loss Thursday at the Toyota Center. “We have this thing very much under control. There is no need for panic. My guys are great.”

The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that they have signed guard Casper Ware to a 10-day contract.

Since graduating from Long Beach State in 2012, Ware has played in Italy. He spent the 2012-13 season with A.S. Junior Casale and was named MVP of Legadue Basket. This season, Ware played for Virtus Bologna of Lega Basket Serie A.

As a senior for the 49ers, Ware was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press. He finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in assists.

In addition, Darius Johnson-Odom’s 10-day contract with the Sixers has expired.

Here’s the Philadelphia Inquirer discussing the 76ers, who have mastered the art of losing basketball games:

The ball bounced awry and tapped the white end line. James Anderson short-armed the pass and Thaddeus Young tried to reach it, but he never had a chance.

There were 8.6 seconds left on Friday night in the Sixers’ 93-92 loss to the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center. And for a moment it appeared that the Sixers’ 22-game losing streak was no longer safe.

But the referee blew his whistle, Anderson’s pass went out of bounds, and the Sixers’ hopes were dashed.

It was their 23d straight loss. They continue to creep closer to the NBA record of 26 straight set in 2011 by Cleveland.

Before the turnover, head coach Brett Brown huddled his team and called for them to work the play around Anderson. It was Anderson’s first game back after missing two with a thigh injury. He finished with eight points and six rebounds.

Down and out or down to the wire, the 76ers are freefalling toward NBA history.

D.J Augustin scored 20 points and Taj Gibson had 19 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 102-94 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night, handing the 76ers their 22nd straight loss.

The Sixers are four losses shy of matching the NBA record for the longest single-season losing streak. The Cleveland Cavaliers set the record of 26 consecutive losses in the 2010-11 season. The Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-96), Denver Nuggets (1997-98) and Charlotte Bobcats (2011-12) each lost 23 straight.

“Winnable game,” 76ers coach Brett Brown said. “I say that because a group that’s been losing … still stays together. They still compete. I’m proud of them.”

The Sixers also lost their 17th straight home game since beating Charlotte on Jan. 15. They were 8-11 at home at that point and had already defeated Miami, the Bulls, and Houston in Philadelphia.

– Associated Press