Sixers President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey
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Sixers President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey
The Philadelphia 76ers have the 3rd pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Daryl Morey will likely receive numerous trade offers for the Sixers to move down the draft board.
During a recent episode of the “Kevin O’Connor Show” for Yahoo Sports, O’Connor explained why the Sixers should explore the opportunity to trade down on draft night.
”I’m not the biggest Ace Bailey guy. Personally, if I’m Philadelphia, I’d be very, very open to trading down. I’ve heard the Pelicans at number seven like Ace Bailey. Joe Dumars there — sounds like he really likes Ace Bailey. Could try to trade up to number three to Philly or number four with Charlotte. That to me is the best-case scenario for the Sixers — you trade down from three to seven, New Orleans gets their guy, and you can probably still get Maluach. I don’t know if Trey Johnson would be there at seven, but Maluach — I don’t see it at four or five.”
Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid are an elite trio. As such, Morey would be wise to draft based on fit, rather than pure upside. Therefore, if they have a target who will be available further down the board, adding some future assets while still getting their man would be a big win for the franchise.
Sixers Unlikely to Trade “Too Far Back”
In a May 26 report, Marc Stein reported that even if the Sixers do trade out of the third spot, they’re unlikely to move “too far back.”
“League sources maintain that the Sixers are determined to add a dynamic young talent to their core after the tremendous fortune they enjoyed in the May 12 draft lottery,” Stein reported. “Such players are usually found by drafting (or in this case staying) as high as possible in the lottery.”
Stein’s report fits perfectly with what O’Connor is suggesting. Philadelphia would drop four spots in the lottery while still getting their man and potentially adding a player or future pick to do so.
Morey Previously Committed to Using Third Pick
In a recent episode of NBC Sports Philadelphia’s “Take Off Podcast,” Morey explained how his current plan is to use the Sixers’ third-overall pick.
“Yeah, our plan is to pick this pick, yeah,” Morey said. “Yeah, I think the top few, top three, four, you could argue, five maybe. I mean, there are good players in this draft. The top of this draft, I think, I would say I was very fortunate to start my career in the 2003 draft. Which some argue is the best draft of all time, but I think it’s in the top five of high-quality players in the top of the draft in my career.”
Whatever the Sixers decide to do, they will add fresh talent to a budding new core. Between Maxey, Jared McCain and the incoming rookie, Morey will have a foundation to build on for the future. Nevertheless, he must ensure the new rookie is capable of producing when called upon. If Ace Bailey could struggle to crack the rotation, Morey may be better suited looking elsewhere, because right now, the franchise isn’t in the player development phase.