NBA Draft 2021: Mock draft, big board, full Sixers guide

Sixers draft: Potential trade targets with 28th pick

If the Sixers look to trade the 28th pick, it will ultimately serve the goal of competing for a championship in 2022. That could mean a simple pick-for-player swap, in which the Sixers add a veteran contributor. It could also mean a trade for future picks, with the goal of dangling those picks in a bigger trade down the line.

This is a topic we have discussed on the site already. The Sixers would want at least a rotation-level player in return for the pick. Given the cap situation, Morey can’t freely absorb much money. That means salary filler (likely in the form of George Hill, who is due $10 million on an expiring contract) could accompany the 28th pick in a potential trade.

Names to watch are Terrence Ross, who has two years, $24 million on his contract and would provide a sizable scoring boost in the second unit. The Sixers could also look at Thaddeus Young, who had a brilliant season in Chicago despite the Bulls’ frontcourt logjam and Billy Donovan’s refusal to maximize his skill set. The ideal candidate that has been lobbed around is Robert Covington, who is on an expiring contract and may not have a future in Portland.

Players in that vein — rock-solid, rotation-level veterans who are not properly valued in their current situation — are who the Sixers can seek out. As for teams that might have interest in the 28th pick, the Sixers can start with teams that currently don’t own a first-round pick. Naturally, both Chicago and Portland are on that list. The Celtics and Timberwolves do not have first-round picks either.

Another situation to monitor is that in Utah, where ownership could look the duck the luxury tax in lieu of Mike Conley’s upcoming extension. Per ESPN, that could mean one of Utah’s veterans — such as Joe Ingles — is dealt away. The Sixers cannot provide cap relief, but it may behoove Daryl Morey to explore a three-team trade. Ingles would fit splendidly in the Sixers’ second unit.