Philadelphia 76ers 2017 Draft Options Limited

The Philadelphia 76ers will be quite busy assessing talent for up to four draft selections this year. But does one first round pick in 2017 with a better draft class make their jobs easier, or more difficult?

The first round pick of the 2017 draft.

Seems rather lonely sitting there, all by itself doesn’t it? I mean, compared to the 2016 scenario of up to four first round draft picks, and 2015 multitude of 2nd round picks, a single pick in the first round of the NBA 2017 draft just seems… incomplete.

But there are some variables that will affect the Sixers 2017 draft. If their turnaround outpaces the performance of the Sacramento Kings, the team will once more have an option of swapping picks. That option becomes incredibly valuable if the Sixers improve beyond the NBA lottery and the Kings remain in the hunt for the top pick of the NBA draft next season. But whether the Sixers outpace the NBA lottery in the 2017 draft or not, it will remain just one pick.

The other silver lining on the dark cloud of that reality is linked to this year’s NBA draft. The Los Angeles Lakers pick is top three protected this year, but if if falls to four or five will become a Sixer pick. If it fails to change hands in 2016, it simply rolls over to a top three protected pick in the 2017 NBA draft. Now that scenario for the Philadelphia 76ers gets interesting.

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The Los Angeles Lakers are in a tail spin this season. While some have portrayed the team as a one drop season, the fact that they have built the team to support Kobe Bryant and will not have his services leaves quite the void on the roster. His play was a beautiful thing to watch, but the scheme of the 2015-2016 Lakers stunted the growth of their young players. Adding either a Ben Simmons or a Brandon Ingram will simply do more for the box office ticket sales than the win column next year. So the fact that a four through six pick in a 2017 NBA draft loaded with talent is a solid projection.

Factor that in with the performance of the Sacramento Kings, a team that should be on a rebuild but continues to fight for free agents, pay for some marquis talent, and stay just above the worst record in the NBA will continue as well. This year, the Kings project to end up with a draft pick at or around pick six through eight (barring a long shot chance at the top pick). But the Kings have more problems than this season’s finish. They project to face the attrition of up to six free agents, and their coaching situation is rather stormy with mid-season rumors that the team would be firing head coach George Karl. The fact that the head coach and best player on the team, DeMarcus Cousins have openly exchanged heated words hasn’t helped the matter. The Sacramento Kings have finished in the bottom third of the NBA for the past three years, and with all of the current dynamics in that team, they will likely not finish any higher next year.

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So it seems, when you look at the face value of the 2017 NBA draft, that lone pick of what should be a very improved Sixers cast is intimidating. But the off-season has yet to take place, and the team is currently looking at more players than the 2016-2017 roster can hold. Will the team trade some players for next season’s draft picks? That scenario makes sense, particularly with the success rate of Sixers finding homes on other teams rather quickly.

If the Sixers realize the potential of their roster, they should end up winning somewhere in the range of 30 games next season. While that would not launch them into a play-off, it would be enough to thwart the value of their draft pick. But that would show the value of the draft swap, and if the Lakers struggle next season, would give the Sixers potentially another season of two lottery picks in the first round. While many debate the ability of Sam Hinkie to draft a cohesive team, there is no question he has a keen eye to strategically optimizing the NBA draft for the Sixers.