The Philadelphia 76ers have the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The team’s selection must be capable of impacting Nick Nurse’s rotation and boasting long-term upside for the Sixers.
Daryl Morey is likely feeling considerable pressure. The Sixers believe they’re a contending-level team. As such, most rookies would struggle to crack the rotation. However, when you take someone so high in the lottery, finding them minutes is essential.
Of course, Morey could opt to flip the draft pick via a trade. The most likely outcome would be receiving some additional assets to move further back in the lottery. In his latest mock draft, Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports proposed a trade that could make sense for the Sixers.
The trade proposal looks like this:
Sixers Get: Herb Jones, the seventh pick in the 2025 NBA draft and a 2026 Indiana Pacers first-round pick (top-4 protected)
New Orleans Pelicans Get: The third overall draft pick and Kelly Oubre Jr.
“League sources continue to cite the Pelicans as a team aggressively looking to move up in the draft, with most front-office executives believing Bailey is the target of new general manager Joe Dumars,” O’Connor wrote. “That’s why we’re mocking a trade here for this week’s mock, with Herb Jones and a low-value first in 2026 via the Pacers to move up four spots.”
Depending on who the Sixers are targeting in the draft, moving back four spots may not make too much of an impact. Furthermore, the addition of Jones and another future pick may be enough to entice Morey to the negotiating table. After all, the Sixers would still be getting a high-level lottery pick, but would also be adding a proven defender at the NBA level as part of the deal.
Sixers Urged to Add Athleticism
During a recent conversation with Ky Carlin of USA Today’s “Sixers Wire,” former Sixers GM Billy King detailed how he would build a successful team around Joel Embiid.
“I think they have to get more athletic around Joel,” King said. “If you’re watching Oklahoma City, Indiana, you watch Boston; I think you need as many 6’8″ athletes as possible to be able to compete in this league because the game has changed where the power player down low is not as dominant and the game is try to create mismatches by running pick-and-rolls.”
While adding Jones wouldn’t solve what King is talking about, the additional defense couldn’t hurt. Still, improving the number of elite athletes within the Sixers’ rotation would be a wise move. Furthermore, the franchise likely needs to find some additional perimeter scoring to help space the floor.
Sixers Unlikely to Trade George This Summer
While there’s a genuine chance the Sixers could trade their upcoming draft pick, it would appear Paul George is off limits.
“Sources say that recent reports suggesting that the Sixers will be looking to explore George’s trade market in conjunction with the draft are a misread,” Jake Fischer recently reported. “There have been no indications that they are looking to package George with the No. 3 pick or try to move him on his own. The Sixers surely understand that there is little-to-no chance they could optimize a trade return for the 35-year-old after his injury-riddled maiden season as a Sixer … especially with three seasons remaining on George’s max deal.”
When healthy, George is still one of the best forwards in the NBA. Therefore, the Sixers are likely hoping that his debut season becomes the exception, and not the rule. Still, it’s clear that the Sixers could be a busy franchise this summer.
We will get our first hint at how they’re planning on retooling on draft night. From there, it will be fun to see what Morey has in store over the summer.
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