Philadelphia 76ers' Options When It Comes to Evan Turner

The Evan Turner debacle has left Philadelphia 76ers' fans either scratching their heads or pulling their hair out of those very heads.

The No. 2 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Turner has disappointed tremendously. Now three years after that draft, and Sixers fans have seen enough.

Turner has averaged 10.1 points along with 5.3 rebounds in his 225 games played over his three seasons in the NBA. These numbers aren't up to the standard of a second overall selection. 

While there aren't exactly numerous options and opportunities for how the 76ers should handle Turner this offseason and into the season, the following are a few of, what seem to be, the only options for the organization.

Sign-and-Trade

Turner is set to make $6.7 million next season.

According to Tom Moore at PhillyBurbs.com, there are a couple players who could draw interest from the 76ers in a sign-and-trade situation.

The first of those players is Tyreke Evans, Evans is only 23 and has Philadelphia ties, hailing from Chester, PA. Evans averaged 15.2 points per game this season for the Sacramento Kings, with whom he has been with in all four years of his professional career.

At 6'6", Evans would be a perfect complement for Jrue Holiday in the backcourt and would take the scoring load off of Holiday as well.

Another player the Sixers could target in a sign-and-trade involving Evan Turner is O.J. Mayo. Mayo is 25 years old and coming off a season with the Dallas Mavericks which saw him average 15.3 points per game.

Unlike Evans, Mayo would step in as a more proven, go-to consistent wing-player in the NBA, something the 76ers are in dire need of.

As Moore points out, the 76ers' $12 million in cap space would be preserved if a sign-and-trade for either of those two players were to happen.

Putting money aside, if either of these two players is swapped with Turner, it will bring a new element of athleticism to the Sixers. And Sixers fans won't have to cringe anymore at Evan Turner forcing up bad jump shots.

Keep Him and Bring Him off the Bench

Evan Turner has proven that he is very consistent at being inconsistent as a starter.

One game, he will post close to triple-double numbers. The next, Turner can't find the bottom of the hoop and proceeds to hang his head on the bench.

Speaking of the bench, this is the perfect place for Turner to start games, assuming he doesn't pout.

He could come off the bench and spell Holiday in ball-handling responsibilities. Sure, Turner won't provide the same firepower as Holiday, but maybe this role will convince him he can do less and still contribute efficiently. 

If the new coach wants to run a "big" lineup, Turner would be the ideal point guard in that rotation due to his knack for rebounding.

This situation gives Turner the opportunity to grow as a player and believe the organization still has faith him, as they would have chosen to retain Turner instead of shipping him off. 

Re-Sign Him to Long-Term Deal

In perhaps the most unlikely of scenarios, there is still the possibility that the 76ers could re-sign Evan Turner to a multi-year contract.

Hey, we've seen crazier things happen.

If Turner were to believe the organization still felt confident in him by retaining and benching him, then a long-term deal would have Turner bursting at the seams with confidence.

This situation would call for Turner's confidence to be backed up by concrete results. And a 12 point, six rebound and four assist performance, for example, would not be classified as "results."

Turner would need to assert himself as a consistent, heady player that can create his own shot at any time led by an ability to drive the ball with physicality leading to the initiation of contact with a defender.

He hasn't proved he is capable of doing so thus far in his career, but perhaps a multi-year deal would be that extra motivation he needs to peak.

As mentioned previously, a long-term deal seems outlandish for a player that hasn't shown he deserves it. With that being said, if the unthinkable were to happen, perhaps Turner could grow into the future star that all Sixers fans were dreaming of back in 2010.