The Philadelphia 76ers have five selections in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft and there’s little doubt that it will impact their plans for free agency.
This offseason is one of the most important in Philadelphia 76ers franchise history. They have two big time free players hitting free agency in Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. This also is the first time since the 2012 NBA Draft that the Sixers haven’t had a pick in the draft lottery. How general manager Elton Brand approaches the 2019 NBA Draft will affect how the franchise approaches free agent.
Despite not having a lottery pick, the Sixers still have five selections in this upcoming draft. They hold the 24th, 33rd, 34th, 44th and 54th spots. With one first and four second round picks, the Sixers have some flexibility in how they approach the draft.
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In the past, I wrote about how Philly should trade two of their second round picks in to gain another first round pick. I still stand by that same line of thinking, due in part because it’s doubtful that the Sixers want to have five rookies on their roster. The other part is because the Sixers can have two prospects locked up in long term deals if they trade for another first round pick.
Depending on what trades the 76ers make with their picks could affect the amount of salary cap space and roster spots they have available. The team could draft-and-stash a few of the their second round picks, if they can’t find trades for those respective picks.
Currently, Philly only have four players under fully guaranteed contracts for next season. Theoretically, the Sixers open roster spots could shrink from 11 to six openings, if Philly can keep all five of their draft picks.
That won’t help the Sixers when it comes to free agency. If they retain all five picks, it doesn’t give them flexibility to build the bench. As previously stated, the Sixers would only have six open roster spots if they keep all five picks. Three of those spaces would be taken up by bringing back starters Butler, Harris and J.J. Redick. That means they only have three spots to bring in veteran free agents to fill out the bench.
With the Sixers wanting to compete for a title next year, it wouldn’t be ideal for half of their bench to be made up by rookies. However with the salary cap space it would take to re-sign their starters, it may be their cheapest option.
If Philly wants to have more of a veteran bench, they will have to make trades with those picks. As previously mentioned, they could move up to get another first round talent. Another option is to trade those second round picks for future draft assets. If the Sixers can cut down the amount of picks they currently own to two or three, then they would have more flexibility in free agency to add more veterans to the roster.
With as many picks as the Philadelphia 76ers have in this upcoming draft, it would be foolish to believe that the draft won’t impact the Sixers free agent plans. Depending on what type of roster flexibility that Brand wants for free agency will impact how he approaches the draft.