PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers Monday severed the last link with their 1983 championship team by trading point guard Maurice Cheeks to the San Antonio Spurs.
In return for Cheeks, center Chris Welp and guard David Wingate, the 76ers obtained floor leader Johnny Dawkins and forward Jay Vincent.
'There was no one final determining factor in making the trade, but if there was one, age is probably the biggest factor, the age of Johnny Dawkins versus the age of Maurice Cheeks,' Philadelphia General Manager John Nash said. 'To be able to get a young player of Dawkins' caliber is exciting.'
Cheeks, who will be 33 Sept. 8, was the last player remaining from the 76ers' 1983 championship team and he averaged 11.6 points and 7.8 assists a game last season.
With San Antonio, Cheeks will be expected to provide leadership to young players like David Robinson and Willie Anderson.
Nash said the team held a news conference to announce the trade before informing Cheeks because San Antonio had called a news conference to disclose the deal.
Dawkins, who will be 26 Sept. 28, averaged 14.2 points and 7 assists but played in only 32 games because of a nerve problem in his left leg and foot.
Vincent, 30, averaged 8.6 points with Denver and San Antonio last season but played in only 29 games because of foot and ankle problems. He is expected to play backup forward for the 76ers.
Nash said the 76ers believe Dawkins and Vincent are recovered, but the trade is conditional on them passing a physical.
Injuries have haunted the 76ers in trades. In 1986, Philadelphia sent Moses Malone, Terry Catledge and a pair of No. 1 draft choices to Washington for Jeff Ruland and Cliff Robinson.
Ruland played in only a handful of games before ending his career because of a knee injury. Robinson has been plagued by injuries since his acquisition.
Dawkins, 6-foot-2, was San Antonio's first pick in the 1986 draft out of Duke. He has averaged 13 points and 5.6 assists per game in his career. Vincent, 6-7, was the 24th player taken in the 1981. He has averaged 15.9 points per game in his career.
Cheeks, Philadelphia's second-round draft pick in 1978, has averaged 12.2 points and 7.2 assists a game in his career. He was hampered by minor injuries last season and missed 11 games.
'We were concerned last season that Maurice's problem was age as much as injury although that did not prove to be the case,' Nash said. 'But the older a player gets, the more the little bumps and bruises become prolonged problems.'
Welp, 7-0, was Philadelphia's first pick in the 1987 draft but suffered a serious knee injury in his rookie season. In limited playing time last year, he averaged 3.6 points per game.
Wingate, 6-5, was Philadelphia's second-round pick in 1986. He played in only 33 games last season because of knee injuries and averaged 4.2 points a game.
Cheeks recently signed a contract extension. That extension, ironically, led to his trade because it caused San Antonio to contact the 76ers about his availability.
'We looked upon the trade as an opportunity to get a good, young point guard who has the opportunity to be a 76er for the next 10 years,' Nash said. 'Maurice has been an All-Star player. Johnny Dawkins is not yet an All-Star. We would hope that Johnny Dawkins can become an All-Star.'
Philadelphia Assistant coach Fred Carter said Dawkins should improve quickly in his new setting.
'At San Antonio, he started his career getting better and better and there's reason to believe Johnny Dawkins will continue to grow,' he said. 'Being here and playing with players the caliber of Charles Barkley and Mike Gminski will give him a chance to develop more. He can specialize more and not have to do as many things.'
