Speeding the development of rookie center Shawn Bradley was the motivation for the Philadelphia 76ers' trade of Hersey Hawkins to the Charlotte Hornets.
The Sixers got three players and a 1994 first-round draft choice Friday in exchange for Hawkins, Philadelphia's leading scorer last season.The 76ers acquired guard Dana Barros, forward-center Sidney Green, the rights to rookie guard Greg Graham and the best of four first-round draft picks next year.
Jimmy Lynam, Philadelphia's general manager, declared that the 7-foot-6 Bradley would stir the imagination of basketball fans the way Eric Lindros did with the NHL Philadelphia Flyers.
"Our job is to surround him with the right pieces, so that he can get to the (superstar) level as quickly as possible," Lynam said.
Asked what the deal would do for his last place team in the Atlantic Division, Lynam responded: "I think it's fair to say that we'll be a young team, an aggressive team, an exciting team."
"I don't want to overstate this, given where we were at the end of last season," Lynam said. "But it's a step in the right direction.
"We had to go back to the drawing board. We feel that it's very important to get younger and more athletic. You can't do it overnight. This trade lets us take a big step in that direction."
Lynam and Sixers owner Harold Katz said that Graham, 23, was the key to the deal for Philadelphia.
"We wouldn't have made it without Graham," Katz said.
"He played for Bobby Knight at Indiana and is very well schooled at the defensive end of the court," Lynam said. "He was selected the outstanding defensive player in the Big Ten. That says a lot. He shoots the ball well. He made over 50 percent of his 3-point shots, shot 55 percent from the field."
Graham, the 17th pick of the Hornets in the June NBA draft, hasn't signed a contract.
Lynam noted that Barros, who Charlotte acquired earlier in the week in a deal with Seattle for Kendall Gill, led the NBA in 3-point shooting two seasons ago.
"We have Bradley and Clarence Weatherspoon, who are effective around the basket, so you need perimeter shooting," Lynam said.
Lynam was also upbeat about Green, 32.
"I know that his playing time has diminished, but if you look at how his minutes unfolded toward the end of the season and into the playoffs, he was a factor.
"He still rebounds once every three minutes he's on the court."