After the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery bumped the Philadelphia 76ers up to third overall, Bryan Colangelo is keeping an open mind heading into the offseason.
Tuesday was an exciting night for Philadelphia 76ers fans. As the Lottery Party was raging in Xfinity Live!, Sam Hinkie’s most outrageous vision culminated with an impressive degree of success — the picks swapped, leaving the Sixers in the top three on draft night for the third season in a row.
Philadelphia 76ers
While that pick doesn’t make Markelle Fultz an attainable asset, it does leave the proverbial door open for a piece like Josh Jackson, whose availability at the fourth spot would have been more doubtful. With the Sixers putting the final touches on their rebuild, a strong hit in this year’s class could push Philadelphia into the playoff picture’s periphery as it currently stands, with Joel Embiid already showcasing superstar potential when healthy.
The third overall pick and Embiid’s superstar-esque upside would also be joined by last season’s top overall selection, Ben Simmons, giving the Sixers a trio of potential stars — all of whom are in the earlier stages of their development. Embiid, even with the special abilities he flashed last season, has the potential to make legitimate strides in his second season. Simmons, on the other hand, has had a year to acclimate himself to the NBA lifestyle.
Rolling with the draft this June is an appealing option for Bryan Colangelo and company, and one that the front office — in all likelihood — is bound to stick by. The Sixers’ president of basketball operations left the door open for other moves, though, should an opportunity present itself.
"“It’s good to be at three. We’re excited about the pick. We think we’re going to add a great player or we’re going to have some leverage in discussions with other teams about certain situations that we might entertain.” — Bryan Colangelo, via CSNPhilly"
That’s a pretty standard answer to questions regarding a team’s draft pick, but it does allude to the current state of the NBA landscape. Paul George seems like a long shot, but Jimmy Butler is somebody teams will have to look into, especially if the Bulls signify any desire to kickstart a rebuilding process.
Other names like D’Angelo Russell have worked their way into trade discussions as well, with Russell’s spot in the rotation in potential jeopardy with the looming presence of Lonzo Ball come draft night — or De’Aaron Fox, if the Lakers really shake things up.
If the Sixers are put into a position where attaining a star is legitimately feasible, there’s reason to believe that Colangelo could be willing to part ways with a high draft pick, even in the midst of a class as loaded as this one.
With his intentions clearly set towards expediting the Sam Hinkie-sparked rebuild, Colangelo — despite impressive restraint in his first season with the team — has shown that he’s potentially willing to shell out larger portions of cap space for big name free agents. There have already been a myriad of rumors connecting him to Kyle Lowry in free agency, while J.J. Redick‘s name has also surfaced as a potential option.
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Fit with the Sixers’ current timeline is a clear-cut concern with such moves, but Colangelo’s goals could be predicated more towards advancing that timeline, rather than working around it. A player like Jimmy Butler or Kyle Lowry (even J.J. Redick) vastly improves the win projections for this team next season, potentially pushing them even further into playoff contention comparative to where the roster currently stands.
Whether or not that’s the best option given the prolonged stranglehold LeBron James has had on the Eastern Conference is up for debate, but the prospects of a competitive unit remains appealing nonetheless — especially from Colangelo’s viewpoint.
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Additional attendance, more national notoriety and a team with functional offensive pieces outside of Joel Embiid is something the city has long been waiting for. It might not be in the most Process-proven manner, but Colangelo seems open to chasing those goals in explosive fashion.