On August 13th, 1999, the Philadelphia 76ers signed-and-traded forward Harvey Grant and traded guard-forward Anthony Parker to the Orlando Magic for forward Billy Owens.
Anthony Parker was originally drafted in the 21st slot of the 1997 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets. Two days later, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal involving seven other players including 1997 lottery picks Tim Thomas and Keith Van Horn.
A standout at Bradley, Parker joined a 76ers team undergoing its own rebranding. The franchise had changed its logo, added new uniforms and hired defensive-minded coach Larry Brown. Under Brown, Parker (37 games & 5.3 MPG) spent much of his rookie year riding the pine. He managed 1.9 PPG, 0.7 RPG and 0.5 APG in the limited time. Philadelphia finished the 1997-98 season 31-51.
After the NBA lockout cut out 32 games from the 1998-99 schedule, teams had to make quick moves on the fly. Philadelphia filled out their roster and added veteran forward Harvey Grant. The Sixers originally signed Grant to a reported two-year deal for $2.1 million. Conflicting reports from the NY Post also stated that Grant signed for the $1 million veteran exception.
Philadelphia started the truncated season 10-5 and stayed around .500 before a 9-4 finish placed them at 28-22 and in the sixth seed. Grant participated in 47 contests (10 starts) and produced 3.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 0.5 APG in 17.0 MPG. The 6′8″ forward posted career-lows in PER (6.6) and true shooting percentage (40.4%). Parker missed all but two games with a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot.
The Sixers made the postseason for the first time in eight years. They faced the 33-17 Orlando Magic. Philadelphia surprised the Magic and stole the series opener on the road. After an Orlando victory in game Two, the 76ers took Games Three and Four at home to win the series 3-1.
The 76ers made the second round and faced the second-seeded Indiana Pacers. All four games were relatively close, but the Pacers swept Philly 4-0. Grant scored just two points in 29 minutes and 4 games during the 1999 postseason.
Grant became a free agent after the 1998-99 season. He re-signed with the 76ers for one year and $1.2 million and was traded on the same day with Parker to Philadelphia.
As the Orlando Magic continued their quest to acquire every expiring contract possible, it became apparent that they were set to be major players in 2000 free agency. After acquiring Billy Owens from Seattle in the late-June of 1999 Horace Grant trade, Orlando re-directed Owens and the two years and $4.19 million owed to him to Philadelphia for the expiring contracts of Horace’s twin Harvey Grant and Anthony Parker.
Harvey Grant was waived nearly two months after the trade occurred. He caught on with the Washington Wizards for their 1999-2000 training camp, but was a final cut before the start of the season. An 11-year veteran, Grant retired from the NBA soon after.
Parker joined the Magic and was nearly waived before the season started, but he surprised Orlando in training camp with his shooting ability and feel for the game.
Parker had a limited role in the rebuild year. He appeared in 16 of Orlando’s 40 games before being waived in late January to make room on the active roster for Monty Williams. Parker left with averages of 3.6 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.6 APG and 0.5 SPG in 11.6 MPG.
With available minutes on the wing, Owens joined the ‘99-‘00 Sixers mainly as a reserve. In his first 31 games, Owens was productive with 7.6 PPG on 44.7% shooting and 5.1 RPG in 24.1 MPG. After the new year, Owens saw a sharp decline in minutes.
In the next 11 contests, Owens averaged just 2.3 PPG on 36.6% from the field in just 11.5 MPG. In mid-February of 2000, Owens was dealt along with Larry Hughes to the Golden State Warriors in a three-team deal involving the Chicago Bulls. Owens ended his brief tenure in Philly with 5.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 20.0 MPG.
Billy Owens on why he’s been traded so many times (via Philadelphia Daily News):
“I guess it’s because teams still want me.”
On his new opportunity in Philadelphia (the Philadelphia Inquirer):
“It’s a fresh slate. I’m 100 percent healthy now. have no excuses now. If I go out there and play bad, it’s time to give it up.”
Being excited to play in Philadelphia:
“I’m really happy to be here. Growing up in Carlisle, I always wanted to play for the Sixers. I remember the time I met Julius Erving, I didn’t wash my hand for two weeks.”
What he expects:
“I expect to concentrate on my rebounding and do what I can to heir this team to the next level. I think I have a lot of years left.”
Anthony Parker on hearing others say that Orlando is his second chance during training camp (via SI):
“People keep telling me this is my second chance, but in my mind it’s my first chance. I’m practicing pain-free for the first time in along time.”
What went wrong in Philadelphia (via Orlando Sentinel):
“When you don’t play for a long time like that, your confidence waivers. You start thinking about what you need to do. Philadelphia just wasn’t the right fit for me. Yet I didn’t waste the last two years. I learned a lot of things about this game. I paid attention to the things around me.”
Philadelphia 76ers general manager Billy King on acquiring Billy Owens (via Sixers.com):
“Billy’s versatility on the court will allow us to utilize our personnel more to our advantage. For his size, Billy is a great ballhandler, rebounder, and has great knowledge of the game.”
On previously inquiring about Owens (via Philadelphia Daily News):
“We’ve talked about him since we’ve been in Philadelphia. We had just never been able to work it out. When we completed the deal last Friday evening, he didn’t talk about coming to a franchise close to his home, he talked about playing for Larry Brown, about a style in which he thinks he fits.
“I dont want to compare him to Scottie Pippen, but he can play the way Scottie played with Chicago, in that he can bring the ball up the floor, meaning that with your two guards, you have three ballhandlers. And he has an advantage at 6-9.”
If Owens’ declining numbers are a sign of something bad:
“Everybody I talked to says they have no problem with Billy as a player or person. A lot of players’ numbers go down. George Lynch didn’t have great numbers before he joined us. Eric Snow’s numbers weren’t great. Theo Ratliff’s weren’t. What’s important is, how these guys impact our franchise. Billy can play small forward, allow George to sometimes move to big forward. He can handle the ball, allowing others Allen Iverson and Larry Hughes to score.
“Larry Brown taught me that rebounding is one of the most important things in the pro game, and Billy is one of the top rebounders at small forward in the NBA. Why should I think negatively because others might have in the past? I shouldn’t get caught up in that.”
Not focusing on shooting:
“Fans want you to add a scorer, to get a guy who makes three-point shots. But we score on slashes to the basket, on drives, on offensive rebounds. We can’t get caught up in just making jump shots, especially with the rules changes that will allow more penetration. We’re not traditional in the sense of just throwing the ball in to a post guy, then playing pick-and-roll. We believe the rules changes will be to our advantage. We need people who play the way we do.”
Orlando Magic head coach Doc Rivers wondering how Parker didn’t flourish earlier in his career during training camp (via SI):
“You watch him, and you wonder why he didn’t make it before. But you know what? I don’t care why. He’s played too well. I don’t have time to dwell on what happened in the past.”
Image via Getty Images/Fernando Medina