“I Will Never Forgive the 76ers”: Charles Barkley, ‘Disgusted’ by Sixers’ $19,200,000 Moves, Claims They Made A Mistake by Trading the Number 1 Pick

Charles Barkley was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. Playing under the guidance of Julius Erving and Moses Malone, Barkley seemed to have enjoyed his first two seasons in Philly. However, things soon started going downhill when the organization made some questionable decisions in 1986. Apart from trading away Malone, the Pennsylvania side also shipped their #1 pick in the Draft, Brad Daugherty to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Roy Hinson and some cash. Barkley recently revealed how he still has not forgiven the franchise for making the $19,200,000 moves(Daugherty signed a $6 million deal with Cleveland and Moses signed a $13.2 million deal with Washington).

The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the most dominant teams in the league from 1977 to 1983. Prior to Charles Barkley’s arrival, the franchise thrived under the leadership of Dr. J and Malone. They advanced to the Finals on four different occasions and ultimately won the title in 1983. Even after acquiring Chuck, the team did find some postseason success. However, things gradually became worse following the second-round loss in the 1986 playoffs.

Charles Barkley still cannot forgive the Sixers for the moves they made in 1986

With Julius Erving and Moses Malone seeing a dip in their production by the mid-1980s, Charles Barkley’s arrival was supposed to start a new era for the Sixers franchise. The team was going on the right track, in terms of the rebuilding process. But, owing to a few contentious moves in 1986, the organization was never able to go back to its glory days.

Making an appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Sir Charles went on a passionate rant, dissing the franchise for their horrid decisions in 1986. The TNT analyst revealed how disappointed he was after learning that the Sixers had traded the #1 pick, Brad Daugherty. Things were worse when a reporter named Phil Jasner broke the news of Moses Malone being traded away to the Washington Bullets to him. Barkley told Simmons:

“I will never forgive the 76ers for f**king up the Brad Daugherty situation because that’s when my career started going downhill in Philadelphia when we traded Brad Daugherty for Roy Hinson… But also people forget the second part of that trade. They traded Moses Malone to Washington DC for Jeff Ruland, who never played with me because his knees were so bad.” 

Philly traded away Daugherty and Moses to acquire Roy Hinson and Jeff Ruland. While Hinson averaged 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds before getting traded in the middle of the 1987-1988 season, Ruland played merely five games during the 1986-1987 campaign before a knee injury forced him to retire. Whereas, Malone and Daugherty made it to All-Star teams for years to come.

Practically discarding two All-Stars, it is understandable why the Round Mound of Rebound is still annoyed with the 76ers.

Since the trade, Barkley was never able to lead the 76ers to a Conference Finals appearance

Once a powerhouse in the league, the Sixers were no longer a threat following the summer of 1986. Practically having no help beside him, Chuck could only lead the team as far as the second round of the postseason. In the six-year span, Philly missed the postseason twice.

Since the team wasn’t built well enough to compete for a title, Barkley demanded a trade in 1992. Dealt to the Phoenix Suns, the undersized Power Forward found instant success. Apart from winning the league MVP in 1993, Charles Barkley even led the Arizona side to a trip to the NBA Finals the same year.