5. Trading away the Mikal Bridges pick
The Sixers snapped a five-year playoff drought in 2018 but had another lottery pick from trading Michael Carter-Williams three years earlier. Philly was selecting tenth and 26th going into the draft night before deciding to swap the lottery selection.
The 76ers moved back to 16th to pick up a 2021 first-round choice. It seemed like a no-brainer move, but quickly turned into a disaster. They got the tenth selection from the Suns and traded it back. Bridges quickly became a crucial role player in Phoenix and Zhaire Smith played just 13 NBA games. Philly could have kept the selection and had the 3-and-D wing they have spent years looking for.
It goes from bad to worse when mentioning the next selection off the board.
The 76ers should have taken Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The two-time All-Star went 11th overall and is one of the best players in the world. Imagine SGA and Embiid sharing the floor for the Sixers. They would be the favorites in the Eastern Conference and a scary matchup for any opponent.
Gilgeous-Alexander is an elite scorer, shot-creator, defender, and playmaker. He is efficient and effective. Every team wants him, but ten passed on him in the 2018 NBA Draft.
This was a massive miss. No first-round pick played fewer games than Smith and even names like Grayson Allen and Donte DiVincenzo were still on the board when the Sixers selected at 16. It was a disastrous trade that cost Philadelphia a difference-maker.