According to reports, the Philadelphia 76ers are “likely” to trade the 28th overall pick in next Thursday’s NBA Draft. This comes as no surprise, with Daryl Morey and the front office clearly focused on maximizing the Sixers’ immediate title odds. The one and only goal is to deliver Joel Embiid a championship contender.
Morey has never been attached to draft picks, and even with the Sixers’ rocky depth chart, it’s hard to imagine the 28th pick having an significant role in Doc Rivers’ rotation year one. If the Sixers can add a useful veteran, a late first-round pick is a small price to pay.
Here are three targets the Sixers could explore with the 28th pick.
3 possible trades involving Sixers’ 28th pick: Terrence Ross
George Hill struggled in his initial stint with Philadelphia, but his $10 million expiring contract is a useful trade chip. With Tyrese Maxey primed to command backup point guard minutes, the Sixers could look to swap the aging Hill for more offensive firepower on the wing. The Magic should have no particular attachment to Terrence Ross at this point.
Last season, Doc Rivers’ bench units were almost universally bad on offense. Ross would give the second unit a reliable shooter and floor-spacer to pair with Maxey. Ross only hit 33.7 percent of his 3s last season, but that number is potentially misleading when you factor in the difficulty of his attempts and the lack of competitive ambition in Orlando after the trade deadline.
Ross is a sizable positional upgrade over Furkan Korkmaz, and he’s five years younger than Hill. Also of note is Ross’ remaining contract — two years, $24 million. That extra year on his deal could justify the investment given the Sixers’ lack of available cap space and the unlikelihood of re-signing Hill beyond 2022.
This is a steep price to pay for Ross on paper, but given the Sixers’ desire to compete, the immediate upgrade in fit and talent makes it worth considering. That said, Philadelphia could also draft a perimeter scorer and, albeit with less certainty, hope he produces at a rotation level.