By establishing their core with Markelle Fultz, the Philadelphia 76ers don’t have to worry about a future dependent on the 2018 NBA Draft class.
There will always be controversy tied to the Philadelphia 76ers‘ decision to trade for Markelle Fultz. The Celtics made an odd decision in vying for Jayson Tatum above all else, while the Sixers parted ways with a potentially-valuable first round pick in either 2018 or 2019.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers’ stock in next year’s draft now depends on the Lakers. If they fall between second and fifth in the final standings, their pick will be shipped to Boston. If they win the lottery or fall outside the top five, Philadelphia then forfeits the Kings’ 2019 pick.
Next year’s draft class is especially unique, starting with the players up top. The top five is among the most gifted concentrations of talent we’ve seen since the 2003 draft yielded multiple Hall of Fame-caliber talents. The top is also littered with bigs — a stark departure from the guard-heavy class of 2017.
That’s part of why trading for Fultz was such a smart move on Bryan Colangelo’s part. He may have risked a high spot in a talent-laden lottery, but the move gives the Sixers far more certainty moving forward — something they wouldn’t have if their selection boiled down to the 2018 draft.
Let’s operate under the assumption that the Sixers didn’t make the trade with Boston. The Celtics or Lakers take Fultz, meaning it’s either Lonzo Ball or Josh Jackson that inevitably ends up in a Sixers uniform. That’s an immediate downgrade in talent, and far less assurance in regards to long-term fit if Jackson is the inevitable selection.
The Sixers then wait for the Lakers’ pick in 2018, and it’s difficult to picture the Lakers flopping all the way to the bottom of the proverbial barrel next season. That puts Philadelphia out of the Marvin Bagley III and Michael Porter Jr. race, while relegating the majority of their choices to bigs.
Luka Doncic would be the Sixers’ best bet at that point, but his ceiling doesn’t reach nearly as high as Fultz’s. He’s a limited defender with some serious concerns over how well his game will translate against athletically-superior NBA talent.
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Fultz If Doncic is off the board, you run the risk of choosing between Mo Bamba, DeAndre Ayton or a player who has little right being in that conversation (and that’s assuming they fall in the top five). The talent drops off in steeper fashion next year, and could leave the Sixers with another elite center who has little utility alongside Joel Embiid.
There’s no denying the talent with players like Ayton and Bamba, and the defensive potential is both awkward and incredibly intriguing. But neither of their games stretch far enough outside of the painted area to yield consistent production as the second big in a rotation.
The talent, both with Embiid and the potential draftee, would be marginalized. With Fultz, the Sixers have somebody whose skill set fits seamlessly with Philadelphia’s core pieces.
A grouping of Embiid, Simmons and Fultz gives me far more comfort than one where Fultz is replaced with Ayton and Jackson. There’s an ever-so-slight chance they could have held out and added Porter Jr. or Bagley (who on the basis of talent alone is worth it), but the odds wouldn’t be in the Sixers’ favor.
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There’s some risk in trading for Fultz, but losing the Lakers’ pick would be well worth adding a guard of his caliber.