Samuel Dalembert Traded from Philadelphia 76ers to Sacramento Kings

The Philadelphia 76ers made a move today, trading longtime center Samuel Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings for forward Andres Nocioni and center Spencer Hawes. The move was first reported by ESPN.com Chad Ford.

The deal is not yet final, pending physicals, but could be made official as soon as Friday.

The Sixers took Dalembert 26th overall in the 2001 NBA draft and has averaged over 8.1 points and nine rebounds a game for his career.

Dalembert has played his entire seven-year career with the 76ers and is due to become a free agent after next season. The move will give the Sixers a replacement for Dalembert in Hawes and hopefully shed some light on their upcoming draft strategy.

There have been recent reports revealing that the team may be second-guessing the selection of Evan Turner with the second overall pick in next week's draft. Many are hinting that Derrick Favors could be a possible pick for the Sixers, but this trade might all but guarantee Turner's selection.

Nocioni is a prototypical small forward and, with his 6'7" frame, he can play the power forward position if needed but is more of a G-F option.

However, the Sixers still have a big need for a shooting guard, which is Turner's natural position, and they will most likely take Turner with the No. 2 pick.

There has been speculation surrounding Dalembert being traded for months. A potential trade was squashed in the regular season, as the teams could not agree on specifics. Dalembert is due just over $13 million next season, and the move will save the budget-strapped Sixers about $3.5 million in salary cap space with the pickups of Nocioni ($7.5) and Hawes ($2.3).

This article can be seen on Eternal Mulligan.