In this week’s NBA draft, Sixers seek star to team with their lone reliable cornerstone, Tyrese Maxey
Given the struggles of Joel Embiid and Paul George, the team must think long-term. We'll see Wednesday which prospect the Sixers draft at No. 3 — if they don't trade down.
The notion first came up midway through this past season.
With the 76ers slipping out of contention in the Eastern Conference standings, suffering one bad loss after another, the team’s front office knew there would be tough decisions.
One of those decisions was opting to tank the rest of the season as a way to keep the Sixers’ first-round draft pick. The thought was to be in position to make moves to build around Tyrese Maxey, the team’s only reliable long-term cornerstone.
» READ MORE: Take Ace Bailey or VJ Edgecombe or trade the pick? Sixers’ NBA draft approach remains a mystery.
Joel Embiid is a future Hall of Famer. But the 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star has played only 58 games combined in the last two seasons because of left knee injuries.
Paul George also has Hall of Fame potential. The 35-year-old, however, is coming off one of his worst seasons. The nine-time All-Star was hampered by injuries as well.
So the Sixers may not be able to rely heavily on George and Embiid moving forward. The team’s best bet is adding players who are complementary to Maxey during this week’s NBA draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Sixers are scheduled to select third in the first round on Wednesday and fifth (35th overall) in the second round on Thursday.
Some league executives believe the team could benefit from moving down in the first round. Two players they like, Duke’s Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, could both be available after the top five picks.
If the Sixers stay at No. 3, Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe are among the options.
Whoever is picked will most likely be looked upon to become a young star to pair alongside the 24-year-old Maxey for seasons to come.
That’s partly why the 2024 All-Star point guard flew in to accompany the Sixers’ brass at a recent dinner meeting with Edgecombe. The team wanted Maxey’s input in evaluating the 19-year-old standout from the Bahamas.
» READ MORE: Sixers mailbag: Figuring out Ace Bailey, how to keep Quentin Grimes, and more
His impressive interview — combined with Bailey’s red flags — has Edgecombe looking like the front-runner to have his name called at No. 3, assuming the Sixers keep the pick.
Edgecombe reportedly was nervous and struggled shooting the ball in a one-on-one setting during his private workout with the Sixers, but the team isn’t concerned, believing the shooting guard’s impressive interviews and meetings carry more weight.
Most teams view an individual workout as a small piece of the puzzle because they scout prospects throughout the season and already have an idea of which areas they need to improve.
Teams are focused on seeing how prospects pick up on drills, their competitive nature, and all of the other intangibles during private workouts. By then, they should already have reports from the scouting department, background information, and psychological testing completed. So one bad workout should not determine a decision.
While Edgecombe’s draft stock is rising, Bailey could slide out of the top five because of his refusal to visit teams or work out for them.
The 6-foot-8 forward, who had been a consensus top-three pick, canceled last week’s workout with the Sixers after he did not receive a commitment that they would select him.
Bailey’s representation knows he could have an easier path to stardom by being selected by the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, or Brooklyn Nets, teams outside the top five in the draft. A league executive said Bailey’s agent, Omar Cooper, would prefer for him to remain on the East Coast to play somewhere between Atlanta and New York.
The Sixers could opt to trade down a few spots to get a player they covet in addition to another first-rounder and other assets. The Utah Jazz (Nos. 5 and 21), Wizards (6, 18), Pelicans (7, 23), and Nets (8, 19, 26, and 27) have multiple first-rounders to offer for the right to move up to take Bailey or another prospect.
» READ MORE: Ace Bailey’s canceled workout in Philly could be part of ploy to handpick his draft destination, sources say
But with Bailey’s stock falling, those teams might not feel compelled to trade up to No. 3 for a chance to draft him. Some league executives don’t believe there is much difference in selecting Bailey, Edgecombe, or Texas guard Tre Johnson. With that, the Charlotte Hornets, who pick fourth, and Jazz could decide to take the best available player who falls to them.
But there’s no guarantee that the Sixers’ other prime targets will be on the board if they trade too far back.
So their best bet is to remain at No. 3 to ensure they’ll get a potential young star to pair with Maxey.