Let’s Make A Deal: A view of trades for the 3rd pick

With the NBA draft and a key NBA offseason approaching, the Philadelphia 76ers need to get moves to get back to their first postseason since Andrew Bynum was a valuable NBA player. Today, we are going to look at a few potential trades the Sixers could make by trading down.

In 1980, the Boston Celtics had the number one pick in the draft. The top prospect at the time was Joe Barry Carroll, a center from Purdue who would later be known as Joe Barely Cares. Instead of drafting at one, the Celtics traded the first and the 13th picks in the draft to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for the third pick, which became Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. This trade caused the Celtics to win three titles and the Warriors to become a laughing stock in the 1980’s.

Philadelphia 76ers

In 2005, the Portland Trail Blazers held the 3rd overall pick in the draft. In a draft with top point guard prospects such as Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Raymond Felton, the third spot was a valuable spot. However, the Trail Blazers already believed they had a franchise point guard in Sebastian “The Celtics Nearly Traded Paul Pierce for me” Telfair, so they decided to trade down to the sixth pick with their divisional rival, the Utah Jazz. Utah ended up with Deron Williams and multiple playoff appearances. Portland ended up with Martell Webster and a hole at the point guard position that was not filled until the drafting of Damian Lillard in 2012.

In the NBA draft, some believe that trading up is the best move for an NBA team to make. Others believe that trading down a few spots in the draft is the best move for a team to make. However, the best move is to obviously acquire great players and make out best in a deal. Markelle Fultz is a great player who could catapult the Philadelphia 76ers to the postseason, but giving up the farm for him would not be beneficial.

Today, we are going to look at some potential trades the 76ers could make if they were interested in trading down.

Trade #1: If Vlade doesn’t know the CBA, do you think he knows how the draft works?

A large amount of Sixers fans are just proposing the third pick for the fifth and the 10th. I believe that just that will not occur. The Kings love DeAaron Fox and know that the Suns will not take him at #4 and the Sixers likely won’t at three. The Kings also are very bad and the two lottery picks are extremely beneficial to the rebuilding process. They won’t give up these picks unless they can get something out of it.

Related Story: The Sixers should trade back to the 5th and 10th picks

I believe if the Kings also acquire two second round picks, they will do this trade. They will have an extra two rookies on non-guaranteed, cheap deals, which will allow the Kings to take fliers on guys. They will also get De’Aaron Fox, who has been praised by many, including star Wizards point guard, John Wall.

The Sixers do this trade in order to get Malik Monk. Malik Monk is a perfect fit for the 76ers but is a bit of a reach at three. Taking Monk at five will save the Sixers money. Also, picking up another top 10 pick is nice.

Trade #2- Croatian Kobe gets a new home.

The Orlando Magic have also not been to the playoffs since 2012. Unlike the 76ers, the Magic have nothing to show for the rebuilding process other than the horse in Bleacher Report’s Game of Zones video. The Magic need to acquire a star player desperately and the league knows it. I mean, on their magic white board, they listed even Chandler Parsons as a trade target. CHANDLER PARSONS.

If you have Chandler Parsons and his max contract as someone you are interested in trading for, your franchise is desperate for a change. The 2017 NBA draft features three players with star potential in Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Jackson. The general assumption is that Fultz and Lavar’s son will go one and two respectively in the draft. This leaves Josh Jackson on the board. The 76ers don’t have a need for Jackson and won’t reach for someone like Monk or Dennis Smith Jr. at three.

Enter the Magic, the Magic do this trade to convince their fans that they have a competent front office that knows what they are doing. The Magic are such a mess that they can’t blow up their core because they have no real assets. I mean no team is calling the Magic about Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon.

The 76ers do this to trade down for Monk or Dennis Smith Jr. They also get to take a flier on Hezonja who has struggled in Orlando and desperately needs a change of scenery.

Trade #3: Phil Jackson’s “I need to hit a homerun in this draft so I can chill in Montana and no one can yell at me for not scouting” trade.

Before I go on my rant about why this trade makes sense, this trade will only happen if Lonzo Ball is available at three. If Ball and Fultz are gone, there is no way this trade happens.

First, the Knicks need a point guard. The Derrick Rose experiment has failed in New York, just like having Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Raymond Felton and every other washed up point guard in the Big Apple. The Knicks have all-star level talents such as Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis but have failed to make the playoffs since 2013. Phil Jackson has also irritated the New York Knicks fan base by making questionable moves such as trading JR Smith and Iman Shumpert for a bag of peanuts and downgrading from Robin Lopez to Joakim Noah, which is the sports equivalent of trading in your iPod Touch for a Zoon.

Phil Jackson needs to bring excitement to New York. Free agents are not flocking to play in Madison Square Garden and the franchise is suffering from image problems. Enter Lonzo Ball. Ball is a talented playmaker who could get the best out of Carmelo, Kristaps, Hernangomez and even Joakim Noah. He’s an evolutionary Jason Kidd with a Kevin Martin-like shot release. LaVar and Lonzo will bring excitement to the Big Apple and improve the Knicks’ fortunes.

The 76ers do this because the Knicks are terrible and they can get Dennis Smith Jr., who might be actually better than Lonzo Ball. The 76ers picking up a future first also sweetens the deal. Assets are valuable for any team. If the 76ers acquire more assets and still get a player who fits their team equally, they will have won this draft.

Next: Markelle Fultz will be a Sixer

If the 76ers are smart they will make a trade that benefits the organizations and help the team in both the short run and the long run. This team could become a potential dynasty down the road, so the right moves must be made. The 76ers can’t trade this pick for a fake draft pick like Nerlens, they need to get something out of this draft.