Should Philadelphia 76ers Pkg n Deal, Or Steal W 24 and 26?

Scenario IV: Use them in hopes that some coveted player falls to them

Sometimes you just gotta roll the dice and see if Lady Luck is in the mood to deal you a winner. While we know that the likelihood of Bryan Colangelo sitting on both the 24 and 26 picks is remote, it’s still the default scenario. Do nothing to change the course of events and that’s what we end up with.

But how bad could that be?  Sure, the Philadelphia 76ers are sitting on the youngest NBA roster in the league already, and with the belief that the Sixers will be selecting at the number one spot, plus welcoming both Joel Embiid and Dario Saric to their debut season in the NBA, there is not much certainty that the Sixers can absorb any more rookie talent onto this roster.

But unless the Philadelphia 76ers are willing to give away far more value than they receive, that may be what they must accept.  But they can’t just grab and stash a young prospect in their D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers.   Other teams have found the Delaware 87ers to be rich in raw NBA talent, and have raided the 87ers on more than one occasion.   But there are some scenarios where the team can have it’s cake and eat it too.

If a raw talent like Thon Maker falls to the 76ers at either 24 or 26, the Sixers could revisit Sam Hinkie’s trademark move by drafting and stashing him overseas.  In that scenario, the 76ers retain his exclusive NBA rights and free up the roster for more veteran players.  Maker does demonstrate major potential given his athletic traits. Playing him at the power forward position where he’s projected would give him a height mismatch over the majority of those players, and he would also have the quickness to beat centers.  He’s just too raw to consume a roster spot today.

Another prospect ripe for a draft and stash is 6’7″ wing Timothe Luwawu. Luwawu is another great prospect for the 76ers. He’s a long, wiry build with potential to fill out his frame, similarly to how Nicolas Batum, another Frenchman, gained muscle mass. He’s a wing prospect who can shoot, play defense, and handle the ball while creating for himself. He checks the boxes in all of these categories, and as a European, he holds the potential to be stashed a for a year if need be. Luwawu would be an ideal prospect for Bryan Colangelo to pick and set up for a year or two down the road when the roster begins to settle into cohesion.

Zhou Qi is one of the most interesting prospects because he can be stashed internationally, has 7-foot-2 height and 7-foot-6.5 wingspan, and shoots from the perimeter extremely well.  In sheer dimensions, he has an understudy feel to the arriving Joel Embiid.  Qi has awhile before he can contribute, because he’s rail thin at this point, but after a bit of seasoning, he could become a dynamic prospect with an interesting offensive profile and the mentality of an anchor on defense.  His current situation makes him another ideal prospect to draft and stash overseas for a year or two.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers May Need To Find Lesser of Two Deficiencies

This is a test of Bryan Colangelo’s patience.  The NBA knows he has already set the tempo to load up on veterans, and now will reluctantly talk with him to challenge just how urgent that strategy is to the younger Colangelo.  If he stands firm, eventually, other teams will come around and offer him true value in an exchange.  But if he bites at the first sign of interest, this could be a disappointing off-season.