Former Sixers Coach Was Apologetic After Trading Bridges to Suns

The city of Philadelphia was buzzing on the night of the 2018 NBA Draft. Despite the Philadelphia 76ers not having an actual General Manager employed due to burner gate, Sixers fans couldn't help but be excited about the fresh new talent the team was going to bring in regardless of who was making the picks at the time.

Former Sixers head coach Brett Brown served as the team's temporary GM that night. When the tenth pick rolled around, Brown gave Philly a reason to cheer as the Sixers selected Villanova product, Mikal Bridges.

Not only was Bridges a standout player from one of Philly's local NCAA hoops teams, but he was born in the state of Pennsylvania. Also, his mother worked for the 76ers' Managing Group, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. 

It was a feel-good story that lasted no longer than an hour. Not too long after selecting Bridges, the Sixers traded him to the Phoenix Suns to land Texas Tech rookie Zhaire Smith and a future first-round pick. Sixers fans were upset with the transaction after getting excited about Bridges, and Brett Brown was apparently apologetic to Bridges' mother after trading him away on draft night.

"He must've apologized to me like a gazillion times," said Tyneeha Rivers, according to 6ABC's Jeff Skversky. "He did call me; he said, 'I just want to apologize again.' But, no hard feelings. I love Brett. He's a good guy."

Unfortunately, Brown's decision to swap Bridges for Smith didn't pan out in the Sixers' favor. While many within the Sixers organization had high hopes for Smith, an injury and a severe allergic reaction prevented him from getting the proper development he needed during his rookie season. 

By the time his Sophomore effort rolled around, Smith had remained a project for the 76ers. And when Philly revamped its front office, adding Daryl Morey as the President of Basketball Operations, he decided it was time to move on from Smith ahead of his third season.

Meanwhile, Bridges has carved out a solid career for himself over in Phoenix. Despite his team failing to make the playoffs in his first two years, Bridges developed into a solid player as he averaged nine points while shooting 36-percent from three in his second season. 

Now, in year three, Bridges is a full-time starter putting up 13 points per game and knocking down 42-percent of his threes while performing up to expectations in the NBA postseason. There's no guarantee the Sixers could've gotten this type of play out of Bridges had they held onto him, but seeing the former Villanova star stand out elsewhere when they could've kept him around must still sting a bit for Philly.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.