2017 NBA Draft Kings Rudy Gay Injury Insures Sixers Success

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; General view during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; General view during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers at Sacramento Kings
NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers at Sacramento Kings

Kings Now Soul Searching

Right now, the Sacramento Kings are soul searching, looking for positives in the sea of gloom. Aileen Voisin of the Sacramento Bee believes that this now forces the team to consider drastic changes.

"The path forward is pretty obvious. Develop the young players. Trade veterans for assets and to clear cap space. Prepare for the draft. Commit that four-letter word (tank) to memory, and do nothing, absolutely nothing, to jeopardize that top-10 protected first-round pick. -Aileen Voisin"

Umm, but here’s the thing Aileen. That first round pick belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers if the pick becomes more valuable than the one held by the 76ers.  And right now, it appears it may end up that way.

More from The Sixer Sense

Now, back to that trade in 2015.  From that willingness to absorb expensive contracts, the Philadelphia 76ers received the draft swap rights in 2016 (expired) and 2017. Plus the team gets a clean first round draft pick in 2019.  For this moment, let’s ignore the incredible value of that 2019 first round pick, and just look at the 2017 draft swap rights, okay?