Many have claimed that the 2025 NBA Draft truly starts with the Philadelphia 76ers, who hold the third overall pick. Without a clear-cut prospect to draft, all options have seemingly been on the table for Philadelphia and the latest report from Marc Stein and Jake Fischer only further adds to the madness.
The 76ers are still trying to trade up
A source briefed on the situation told The Stein Line that Philadelphia appears most likely to keep the third overall pick as it stands. However, the 76ers are still trying to acquire the second overall pick from the San Antonio Spurs: “League sources say that Philadelphia is indeed still trying to move up a spot, The Stein Line said. “ut, San Antonio continues to convey that it plans to hold on to the No. 2 overall pick for the widely expected selection of Rutgers' Dylan Harper.”
This serves as a follow-up to Michael Scotto’s report last week, which stated that Philadelphia has engaged in talks with San Antonio surrounding the idea of swapping picks. At the moment, it seems that the Spurs are intent on keeping the second overall pick and selecting Dylan Harper. Unless the 76ers are willing to part with Jared McCain, which they shouldn’t, a deal doesn’t seem realistic. Philadelphia has plenty of future draft capital – including the Los Angeles Clippers’ unprotected 2028 first-round pick – to theoretically entice San Antonio.
Sources: The 76ers have engaged with the Spurs about potentially moving up to the No. 2 pick. For now, the Sixers have zeroed in on four NBA Draft prospects with the No. 3 pick, including a private workout last week with VJ Edgecombe and Ace Bailey visiting Philadelphia next week
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) June 12, 2025
Regardless, if the 76ers end up keeping the third overall pick, there are plenty of quality prospects at their disposal. Philadelphia already had a successful meeting with V.J. Edgecombe recently, which featured a dinner with a cameo from Tyrese Maxey. On the other end of the spectrum, Ace Bailey is set to meet with the 76ers on Thursday and work out on Friday. Kon Knueppel also revealed that he has a Zoom interview with Philadelphia lined up this week.
The 76ers' budget just got even tighter
Although Philadelphia’s potential draftee remains an intense debate, another important aspect of the third overall pick is the $11.1 million annual salary that comes with it. While that number may not matter to most lottery teams, the 76ers aspire to return to championship contention and want to reform their roster operating under a strict budget. However, with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George taking up most of Philadelphia’s cap space, it’ll need every ounce of flexibility, which it may not get.
The Stein Line revealed that Kelly Oubre Jr, Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon are all expected to accept their player options, which total to around $16.9 million: “The Sixers expect to operate near (or maybe even above) the second apron for this upcoming campaign…” Since Philadelphia holds Quentin Grimes’ bird rights, he’ll likely be able to return with minimal issues, but this could be a problem when trying to retain Guerschon Yabusele. The Stein Line said that Yabusele is projected to command a strong market in free agency.
Guerschon Yabusele has started his offseason workouts (while wearing 76ers gear)
— Harrison Grimm (@Harrison_Grimm) June 18, 2025
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There are plenty of dominoes that have to fall before the 76ers can construct an offseason blueprint. Regardless, with so much of Philadelphia’s cap space dedicated to its core and crippling player options, it may end up having to choose between Grimes or Yabusele. However, one thing is for certain – Philadelphia’s performance in the upcoming draft will be a wild ride.