This is the fifth pick in our Composite Mock Draft; check out the rest of the picks as they are revealed over the coming days leading into the 2025 NBA Draft.
Pick No. 1: The Dallas Mavericks select Cooper Flagg
Pick No. 2: The Utah Jazz select Dylan Harper
Pick No. 3: The Washington Wizards select VJ Edgecombe
Pick No. 4: The Charlotte Hornets select Tre Johnson
Pick No. 5: The San Antonio Spurs select Kon Knueppel
The Philadelphia 76ers had a decision to make when they came onto the clock with the third pick: draft the talented but polarizing Ace Bailey, go for a safer, lower-ceiling player such as VJ Edgecombe, or trade down entirely.
They chose the trade down route, moving down to No. 6 and allowing the Washington Wizards to come up to take Edgecombe with the third pick. In the process, Philadelphia picked up Washington's 2026 first (top-4 protected) and got off of the salaries of both Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond.
Here are the details of the trade:
A trio of shooting guards went off the board in between, but Philadelphia is now facing the same basic equation: to take Ace Bailey or not?
The extremely talented young forward is oozing potential to be a high-end NBA scorer, but he wasn't particularly efficient in college and there are major red flags about his overall profile. Taking him sixth is a bit easier to stomach than taking him third, but that doesn't mean Philly has to feel good about it.
What's more, the 76ers are essentially the last team that Bailey would want to go to -- not that he has said that, but all reports are that he wants to join a team where he can be featured. On a team with Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, he would be battling with Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes for fourth in the pecking order at best.
Yet at the same time, Daryl Morey is not one to draft a low-upside player when he has a Top-10 pick. He is almost certainly looking for star-level upside. That's not coming from Khaman Maluach or Carter Bryant or Cedric Coward, as much as each could fill a role on the 76ers in the coming years.
Morey wants upside. And there is one player who is not named Ace Bailey who brings it in droves -- and that is Derik Queen.
Therefore, with the No. 6 pick in the Fansided Composite Mock Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Derik Queen, freshman center from the University of Maryland.
What Derik Queen brings to the 76ers
Derik Queen is a 6'9" big man who dominated the Big 10 as a freshman at Maryland this year. He is shorter than the average center but has a big frame, plenty of strength and won't be knocked around. He is an excellent rebounder with great hands to both snare boards and catch passes, and he is ambidextrous as a passer and dribbler.
He is an offensive savant, able to handle the ball in transition or even drive in the half-court. He has great touch around the basket and a plethora of post moves, and his passing is right there with any big man prospect in recent memory. The problem is defense, where his mediocre athleticism and lack of a motor combine with poor defensive instincts. To unlock a future star, Morey will need to oversee his development in a major way on the defensive end.
The upside of Queen is tantalizing, and Morey surprises plenty here by taking the big man prospect a few picks earlier than expected -- and most shockingly, passing on Ace Bailey once again.