June 19, 1992: Sixers trade Charles Barkley to the Suns
When the 76ers drafted Charles Barkley in 1984, the plan was for the Auburn University standout to be Julius Erving's successor and extend an era of excellence. But that didn't play out, and by the end of the 1992 season, it was evident that Barkley would be traded for a package of young players who might restore the glory.
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When the 76ers drafted Charles Barkley in 1984, the plan was for the Auburn University standout to be Julius Erving's successor and extend an era of excellence. But that didn't play out, and by the end of the 1992 season, it was evident that Barkley would be traded for a package of young players who might restore the glory.
On June 19, 1992, the Sixers pulled the trigger on a deal to send Barkley to the Phoenix Suns for a trio including former Temple star Tim Perry. Daily News basketball writer Dick Weiss was underwhelmed: "The 76ers," wrote Weiss, "have upgraded themselves from a bad team to a mediocre one.
"They have traded their resident superstar, Charles Barkley, to Phoenix for three players who should give them a better eight-man rotation and help the team improve on a dreadful, 35-win season, But it is hard to tell whether the additions of All-Star guard Jeff Hornacek, forward Tim Perry and center Andrew Lang will make the Sixers markedly better," Weiss wrote. "The guess here is 42 or 43 wins and a short-lived appearance in the playoffs."
As it turned out, his jaundiced view was optimistic: The Sixers wound up with a 26-56 record for the 1992-93 season. The Suns won 62 and proceeded to the NBA Finals, losing in six games to Michael Jordan's unstoppable Chicago Bulls.