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The Philadelphia 76ers had just finished up a tough 1987-88 season where they did not reach their usual level of competitiveness. The team finished at just 36-46 and they fired coach Matt Guokas after 43 games and replaced him with Jim Lynam.
After that, the team earned the third pick in the 1988 NBA Draft and they selected a big man by the name of Charles Smith out of Connecticut. The original thought was that he would come in and back up star Charles Barkley.
Instead, the Sixers had other plans and they sent Smith to the Los Angeles Clippers for the sixth pick in the draft which turned out to be Hersey Hawkins out of Bradley. Hawkins turned out to be a star for Philadelphia and he became an All-Star in 1991 when he averaged 22.1 points and he averaged 19.0 points across five seasons with the Sixers.
Philadelphia then traded Hawkins to the Charlotte Hornets in 1993 to acquire Dana Barros, Greg Graham, Sidney Green, and a pick that later turned out to be Sharone Wright. Hawkins would then be traded to the Seatle SuperSonics, traded to the Chicago Bulls, and then signed with the Hornets before retiring in 2001.
As for Smith, he had a solid career as well as he averaged 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in nine seasons for three different teams. Both players ended up having solid careers in the NBA. [lawrence-related id=38418,38415,38411]