The Philadelphia 76ers may be in an enviable position as holders of the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but recent developments signal that the franchise could also find itself in a double bind. With just a day remaining before they make their selection, reports continue to be conflicting about their strategy on draft night.
At this point in time, it is probably safe — but in no way certain — to bet on the 76ers deciding between Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecombe. The latter is now the popular pick given the former’s camp’s unlikeable pre-draft tactics, yet fans are still treated to a blitzkrieg of confusion and pure speculation.
As of late, the prevailing narrative along the lines of the draft is that Bailey and his camp are determined to avoid Philadelphia as a landing spot. There are whispers about the Rutgers star wanting to go to a team where he can easily climb the pecking order, and a 76ers team with a slew of established stars and veterans simply will not let him do what he wishes.
Nevertheless, there exists some belief from credible individuals that Daryl Morey and the 76ers brass do not plan on simply yielding to Bailey’s demands. To that end, it can be said that the franchise could play the role of villain on draft night.
76ers eye villain role during the 2025 NBA Draft after interesting development
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, in his latest mock draft, noted that Bailey’s representation has sent strong signals to the 76ers that they do not want the young prospect to end up with the franchise.
This has prompted a lot of fans to strongly express their derision about the thought of the 76ers still considering picking him, but reading between the lines, what they are dreading the most at the moment could very well remain in play.
Whether fans like it or not, the 76ers have every reason not to forego selecting Bailey. He is a better positional fit than Edgecombe, and even pundits have him comfortably as the third-best prospect in this year’s draft. His camp’s shenanigans have not turned those sentiments around.
It may not be pretty optics-wise, but Philadelphia can spoil a lot of people’s projections by selecting Bailey and keeping him, instead of casting a huge net to reel in offers from interested parties.. In addition, doing so would extinguish any hope on the part of teams picking after them that Bailey would somehow fall into their laps (ahem, Brooklyn).
There is also a sensible deduction to be made that the very fact that Bailey’s camp is trying its earnest to turn the 76ers front office off is an implied showing that they have strong reasons to believe that Philadelphia is indeed angling to draft Bailey anyway.
To wit, this exhausting roundabout of conflicting intel will most likely not conclude until the actual moment the Philadelphia 76ers make their selection. Until then, there are only mere guesswork and speculations — which is pretty surprising given how strictly one-way the trend seems to have turned out.