The Philadelphia 76ers definitely have a lot of soul-searching to do this offseason, and their summer escapade will begin — and could very well be dictated at large — by what they decide to do in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, where they currently sit pretty with the third overall pick.
For now, the 76ers will remain in that spot, but rumors point to the front office doing its earnest to improve their draft position. Nevertheless, moving up is not their only option. Depending on the other moving parts in a prospective deal, the franchise could see some more than palatable offers come their way on or before June 25.
But beyond selecting a top draft prospect, the 76ers also have free agency to worry about. Unlike last year, though, the front office will be more limited thanks to their near-complete lack of cap space, putting them in a tight spot when it comes to trying to implement upgrades to the roster.
The 76ers cannot fall victim to this downgrade of a trade in disguise
Some pundits expect the 76ers to aggressively try to free up cap space this summer to make more room for their desired signings. To that effect, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie recently minted a couple of trade ideas that Philly can put on the table.
Vecenie suggested two deals involving the team’s No. 3 pick. First is a deal with Charlotte, where the 76ers part with the third overall selection and Andre Drummond for the Hornets’ fourth overall pick and their 32nd pick in the second-round this year.
Conjunctively, Philadelphia then sends the No. 4 pick and Eric Gordon to the Wizards for the sixth and 18th overall selections in this year’s draft. All in all, the 76ers would end up with the sixth, 18th, and 32nd picks.
Looks good, right? In quantity, yes, but definitely not in quality. The 76ers do need to part with the burdensome deals of Drummond and Gordon, who are both very replaceable, but needing to involve the third overall pick just to effectuate that salary-clearing venture would be such a huge waste of a prized asset.
The smart move for Philly would be to capitalize on hard-capped contenders in need of rotational upgrades. In that regard, both Drummond and Gordon shouldn’t be difficult to dangle away.
But in any way, the Philadelphia 76ers cannot move down in the draft for such a surface-level purpose. The front office will have to be much more opportunistic and resourceful than that.