1988–89 Philadelphia 76ers season

[1] In the 1988 NBA draft, the 76ers selected power forward Charles D. Smith from the University of Pittsburgh with the third overall pick, but then traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for shooting guard Hersey Hawkins out of Bradley University, as the team needed more backcourt scoring to complement the inside play of All-Star forward Charles Barkley.

[2][3][4][5][6] The team also acquired Ron Anderson from the Indiana Pacers during the off-season.

[21] Barkley also finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting,[22][23] and Anderson finished tied in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting.

[23] In the postseason, the Sixers lost an Eastern Conference First Round series to the New York Knicks in a 3–0 sweep;[24][25][26][27] the second game was notable, because the team blew a 10-point lead with approximately 2 minutes left in the game, as Knicks guard Trent Tucker's three-point shot with less than 10 seconds left gave New York the win at home, 107–106.

[28][29][30][31] Following the season, Cheeks and David Wingate were both traded to the San Antonio Spurs,[32][33][34][35][36] and Robinson was released to free agency.