Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid
Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
After a disastrous 24-58 season where the Philadelphia 76ers’ “Big 3” of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey missed a combined 134 games due to injuries, they were rewarded with the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. But should the 76ers keep it or trade it to instantly upgrade an injury-plagued roster? One top NBA insider believes the franchise should package it to bring in another superstar, including a two-time MVP.
With Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Rutgers’ Dylan Harper likely going 1-2 in the draft to the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, respectively, the 76ers will have multiple prospects to choose from, including 6-foot-10 Rutgers small forward Ace Bailey, Baylor shooting guard VJ Edgecombe, or Texas shooting guard Tre Johnson.
The 76ers already have a backcourt featuring Maxey and Jared McCain, so it’s questionable if Philadelphia will take either Edgecombe or Johnson, and Bailey is considered a project for a win-now franchise.
Philadelphia needs to get younger and more athletic, especially with oft-injured stars Embiid and George spending more time on the sidelines than the court.
That’s why, according to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, the 76ers should dangle the No. 3 pick, along with George and other assets to the Milwaukee Bucks for nine-time All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo or the Dallas Mavericks for Anthony Davis.
“Thus, might Philadelphia dangle this pick, along with an unprotected 2028 LA Clippers’ first and the Sixers’ own first in 2031, as a magic wand that turns Paul George (still owed three years and $162 million) into either Giannis or Davis?” questions Hollinger. “Can you imagine the other side of this swap, in which a rebuilt Dallas has two of the top three picks and resets around Flagg and Edgecombe (from nearby Baylor)?”
In this scenario, the 76ers would still keep Embiid and his $248 million contract through 2029.
Getting Antetokounmpo, a back-to-back MVP in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, would immediately elevate a 76ers squad that is constantly in a bind over Embiid’s health. A core of Antetokounmpo, Maxey, McCain, and a healthy Embiid would vault Philadelphia back into the NBA pantheon.
As for Davis, a 10-time All-Star, it’s hard to imagine the 76ers would spend so much capital on another player who has consistent injury issues, especially after this past season where Embiid played in 19 games and George just 41.
No matter what happens, what the 76ers do with this pick will define this franchise for the next half-decade.