Sixers draft: Picks, prospects, rumors, how to watch and stream 2025 NBA draft

The Process, part two?

For the first time in seven years, the 76ers have a lottery pick entering the NBA draft. Unless they make a trade, Philadelphia will have the No. 3 pick, its best draft position since 2017.

Hopefully, history won’t repeat itself.

In 2018, the Sixers used the No. 10 pick to take Villanova’s Mikal Bridges. The Philly native remained with the team a whole 38 minutes before being traded to the Phoenix Suns for Zhaire Smith, who played just 13 games for the Sixers.

The Sixers had the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 and 2017, but the two players selected — Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz — were traded elsewhere. The same goes for Jahlil Okafor, whom the Sixers drafted with the No. 3 pick in 2015 but later traded to the Nets.

Sam Hinkie and Bryan Colangelo (and his secret Twitter account) are long gone, so the Sixers’ success or failure comes down to whom president of basketball operations Daryl Morey takes to pair with Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, who has played just 58 games over the last two seasons combined because of injuries.

“They defied the odds by collapsing so completely that their alleged superteam ended up in the lottery,” Inquirer columnist David Murphy wrote. “Then, they defied the odds again by landing the third-best pick with the sixth-best odds.”

Will the Sixers defy the odds again Wednesday? Here’s everything you need to know to watch and stream this year’s NBA draft:

The NBA draft is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. The draft will be televised by ESPN and ABC, and stream on ESPN+ (along with a host of subscription services that carry the networks).

If you live in and around Philly, you can also stream 6abc for free using a digital antenna.

Here’s how television networks are planning to cover the draft:

For the fifth straight year, ABC will air its own coverage of the first round, focused more on the personal stories of the prospects than their impact on the court. Phoenixville native and Temple alumnus Kevin Negandhi will host alongside First Take’s Stephen A. Smith and former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers.

ESPN will televise the first and second rounds, hosted for the fourth year in a row by NBA Today host Malika Andrews. She’ll be joined by analysts Jay Bilas, Kendrick Perkins, Richard Jefferson, and Andraya Carter. Expect to see Stephen A. Smith also pop in on ESPN’s draft coverage.

Shams Charania will make his NBA draft debut with ESPN after having replaced former insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who left the network last year to become the general manager of the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure University.

At this point, that’s anyone’s guess.

Most of the pre-draft chatter has surrounded Rutgers guard Ace Bailey and his decision to cancel a workout with the Sixers. Everyone from Murphy to Philly sports talkers to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro think the Sixers should pass on Bailey over the high-profile dis.

So who’s left?

Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe is among the options for the Sixers at No. 3. Edgecombe recently had a dinner meeting with Maxey and the Sixers’ top brass, according to Keith Pompey, and the 19-year-old’s “impressive interview” makes him the front-runner to end up in Philly.

Other options include Duke’s Kon Knueppel and Texas’ Tre Johnson.

The Sixers could also end up trading out of the No. 3 pick and target someone like Duke’s Khaman Maluach or Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears.

» READ MORE: NBA mock draft roundup: Sixers move on from Ace Bailey. So who's the third pick?

The Sixers have two picks entering the NBA draft. They are:

As of now, the Sixers don’t have a first- or second-round pick in 2026. They won’t draft in the first round again until 2028, when they’ll draft twice after acquiring the Los Angeles Clippers’ unprotected pick in the James Harden trade.

Here’s a breakdown of the Sixers’ upcoming draft picks:

The Dallas Mavericks have the No. 1 pick for the first time since 1981, when they selected three-time All-Star Mark Aguirre. The Phoenix Suns reportedly acquired the No. 10 pick in a blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets.