Where did Philadelphia 76ers 2017 NBA Draft picks 39 and 46 go?

The Philadelphia 76ers held five picks going into that 2017 NBA Draft, but picks 39 and 46 disappeared. What happened and who are they?

The Philadelphia 76ers stared at that 2017 NBA Draft after the lottery results came in. And they didn’t like what they saw. Picking 3rd, 36th, 39th, 46th, and 50th did two things. It didn’t result in Markelle Fultz, and it added too many “players to develop” for President Bryan Colangelo’s liking.

We all know how the Philadelphia 76ers did trade up for the Boston Celtic’s first pick, at the cost of that third pick and a conditional first round pick in either the 2018 or 2019 NBA Draft.  But he was not finished. He traded back into the late first round to nab a Kristaps Porzingas clone at 25, Anzejs Pasecniks.

The Philadelphia 76ers had done their research and loved Pasecniks’ upside.  We know that the team  selected Jonah Bolden at 36, and Mathias Lessort at 50. But what about the 39th and the 46th picks?

Those missing draft picks – Pick 39

Well at 39, the Philadelphia 76ers seemed to select Oklahoma State point guard Jawun Evans

But that pick was already sold to the Los Angeles Clippers.  He is a young and exciting guard, but the Philadelphia 76ers had no room at the inn.

What was the compensation? The amount of that sale has yet to be reported.

Selling a pick to the Los Angeles Clippers? Hmmm…

Those missing draft picks – Pick 46

So what about pick 46? Well, the Philadelphia 76ers selected another fan favorite by choosing SMU shooting guard Sterling Brown.

Only one problem though, he was sold to the Milwaukee Bucks.

So the Philadelphia 76ers abandoned two developmental players for cash considerations. Now for the real question, why should we care?

Anti process process

The fact is that “The Process” was a self-confession that drafting elite players is random chance. Despite the best scouting and analytic analysis, it remains a hit or miss equation.  Player desire, team fit, homesickness, support group, self confidence and even competitive nature all play a role in the outcome.

Selling 2nd round picks seemed, “Anti-Process”.  But let’s examine the nature of the NBA. If a player does not “make it” on an NBA team, there is literally no way to retain their rights. So most teams employ a “draft and stash” strategy which drafts the player, but encourages play with an international team.   The Philadelphia 76ers knew they only had room on the roster for Markelle Fultz and Furkan Korkmaz.   All drafted players beyond that would need to find playing time overseas.

Without other options, the Philadelphia 76ers “sold” each of two picks. Now, teams can exchange cash, but the cap for the 2016-2017 season was $3.5 Million. The 76ers had already received $3.4 Million.  But that cap expands to $5.1 Million for the 2017-2018 season. So it’s a fair bet to assume that the 76ers netted about $1.7 Million for the sale of two second round picks.   Conceivably, that’s a good return on players who had no protection to remain with the team if they did not make the 15 man roster.

But there is the risk of one who got away

Still, the team held the rights of Jawun Evans and Sterling Brown, both players excited the fanbase. Did we sell potential NBA Stars?

It was a deep and talented draft class, so the answer is: maybe.

PG Jawun Evans averaged  25 minutes, 9.5 points, 3.2 assists for the Los Angeles Clippers this preseason.   SG Sterling Brown averaged 21 minutes, 5.6 points and 1.6 assists for the Milwaukee Bucks this preseason.  Both have made the 15 man roster on each of their teams respectively.

Next: There’s no wrong answer in Andrew Wiggins,Robert Covington debate

The knock on Bryan Colangelo from his Toronto Raptors days is the fact that he tended to let talent slip through his fingers.  Will either Evans or Brown sale come back to haunt the current 76ers GM?  Well, that’s a good question.  You’d like to say “No!”, but even the most confident among you knows that the draft is indeed a random chance. Just to be sure, we’ll check in periodically throughout the season to see how they are doing.

It makes you wonder how the Philadelphia 76ers will resolve the same logjam in upcoming NBA Drafts, doesn’t it?   Well, it certainly did open that question for me too.

So what about those 2018 NBA Draft picks? It’s highly unlikely that the Philadelphia 76ers will keep all six picks in that draft. So, the pattern of trading second round picks will likely be deployed next year as well.  We discuss that in out next article, Ten NBA Teams who will trade for Philadelphia 76ers 2018 Draft Picks.

A trend may be developing.