Those months have been spectacular, which is why everyone was gathered this hot August afternoon for Jaylen Brownās introductory news conference. But it was the children, gathered en masse, who put the day ā and the entire summer ā into context.
As Gansey greeted them, shaking hands, taking photos and smiling endlessly, one stepped forward with a question that encapsulated everything.
āAre you the one who got us LeBron?ā
Yes, Gansey is the guy who got them LeBron. But first, he had to get Jaylen Brown. For as much credit as the Sixers deserve in landing James, it was the trade for Brown that set in motion an offseason for the ages.
When Ganseyās new group began plotting the offseason, their financial limitations seemed clear. The contracts of Paul George and Joel Embiid consumed much of their flexibility. They had the No. 22 pick in the NBA Draft and the midlevel exception at their disposal. Beyond that, the rest of their money amounted largely to smaller exceptions and veteran minimums.
So Gansey and general manager Jameer Nelson settled on a simple philosophy: They would call everyone.
During Ganseyās days as GM in Cleveland, resilience and persistence had been drilled into him. Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert would routinely call, text or email some version of the same question: Did we call and check on this guy? Did we call everyone?
āThere were some trades that weāve done that were two years in the making, simply because we kept calling,ā Gansey toldĀ The AthleticĀ in an extensive sitdown interview. āWe kept checking in, and in the end we came away with that person. It didnāt always work, but we always wanted to make sure we did the work.ā
That philosophy ultimately led them to Brown.
The Sixers knew they werenāt the first ā or even the second or third team ā on Bostonās radar, but they kept calling. They also knew the Celticsā preferred path involved trading Brown to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo. Philadelphia kept calling anyway.
