The NBA Draft Is Tonight; Here’s What The Philadelphia 76ers Could Do
Thursday night, the NBA comes together for their 2023 Draft, and there are multiple exciting prospects available that have the chance to change the course of some NBA Franchises. Could Victor Wembanyama, the alien Frenchman who is being touted as one of the most talented prospects in NBA history, really live up to the hype of the number 1 overall pick? Will Brandon Miller, the standout from Alabama who went through a whirlwind of a season on and off the court, prove himself as worthy of the 2nd selection? Will the G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson become the highest profile player to be drafted with G League experience under his belt? There are a plethora of interesting story lines, as there are with just about anything the NBA does, and the Sixers are right in the middle of it as always, right? Right???
Wrong. The Philadelphia 76ers have exactly ZERO picks in the 2023 draft. The days of those process top selections are long gone folks. While there are intriguing players available, the 76ers will most likely be taking home none of them. It’s a tough spot to be in for a franchise that very well could be on the verge of rebuild if this offseason doesn’t go to their liking. Of course, the Sixers 1st round selection this year was sent to Brooklyn, and then subsequently to Utah, as part of the James Harden trade.
You can’t really fault Daryl Morey and company for making that decision at the time as they dumped Ben Simmons and tried to find a top partner for Joel Embiid. Their 2nd round pick, though, was forfeited earlier this season as a result of a tampering violation in the signing of PJ Tucker last offseason. It would’ve been a super late pick in the 2nd round, so the chances of finding an impact player were minimal, but it would be nice to add SOMETHING in the draft, if only a role player. Instead, the 76ers will most likely not be drafting anybody this year.
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So, why would I even take the time to write all this? Well, because it doesn’t mean the Sixers will be totally inactive tonight, even if they have no picks. As we know, the draft creates movement, and movement can involve teams without a pick, and players not in the draft. The roster is set to undergo some level of change for Philly, and Tobias Harris could be a part of that change. There’s certainly a possibility that Harris, who teams have inquired about, is on the move on Thursday night.
The Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers have made inquiries about Tobias Harris’ availability, according to a source. However, another source said the Sixers will only make a deal that would be hard to pass up.https://t.co/viH4g1UKrw via @phillyinquirer
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) June 21, 2023
Outside of Harris, though, there probably isn’t too much for the Sixers to do. A James Harden sign and trade would most likely be too complicated to pull off in the short time frame of the draft. I’d be surprised if we get more Harden news tonight. Joel Embiid is not getting traded, whether you want him to be or not. The Sixers don’t have many other assets to swap/use to acquire picks. There are basically 2 options for tonight: the Sixers move Tobias Harris, or they do absolutely nothing and sit on their hands while the other NBA teams draft. It’s no process draft night, but this is basically where the franchise stands right now. There are very few options for changing the core of this team, no matter how bad they might need to.
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