We’re a little over a week away from the 2025 NBA Draft and it seems like you’re all ready to do this thing.
We’re eight days away from a potentially franchise-altering draft for the Sixers. They hold the No. 3 pick and have numerous options.
Let’s not waste time here and get right into your questions!
This is a good, layered question so I’ll have to break it down in a couple parts.
I think part of the issue is the uncertainty of whether Joel Embiid and Paul George will be healthy enough for the Sixers to compete next season. For me, I’ve been basically analyzing the team as if they won’t be — and if they are, it’s an enormous bonus. It’s the dreaded “dual timeline” situation, but I don’t think the team has much of a choice. Trading either guy would likely cost you future assets which would hurt a potential rebuild. And it would be reckless to trade any of the young guys in order to acquire veterans to help Embiid and George.
I wouldn’t get too bogged down with the age/experience stuff. Alex Caruso (30) and Kenrich Williams (30) are the only Thunder rotation players in their 30s. For the Pacers, only Pascal Siakam (30) and our old pal Timothy John McConnell (32) are over 30. All six players that have started for OKC in the postseason are 26 or younger. Three of Indy’s starters are 25 or younger. I think part of Daryl Morey’s goal to get younger and more dynamic is watching teams like OKC and Indiana in the Finals and seeing the direction the league is going.
As I’ve pointed out many times, Morey is going to take the best player available. He didn’t select Jared McCain last year thinking he’d play that well as a rookie. He took McCain because he believed the Duke product was the best overall player on the board. With the best players in the draft being so young (Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey are still 18!), it’s more about projecting their careers than determining whether they can contribute now. In reality, that’s in the team’s best interest now and in the future. If the player winds up being legitimately good, you have countless options moving forward.
I will say this, whether it’s accidental or a philosophical shift, McCain and Adem Bona were both super impressive with their maturity as young players. You could tell from their first press conferences they had the proper mindset in addition to their talent. I believe that helped both guys see the floor as rookies.
As for trading back in the draft, I don’t think the Sixers do it unless they stay in the top six and get a haul to do so. I would not be surprised at all to see them simply take the best player on their board at No. 3.
Probably more than would be worth giving up. You do have some teams in that range who could be interested, but is it worth giving up the 2028 Clippers pick or 2029 pick swap? I guess if the team identifies a prospect it really covets in that range? Maybe if someone like Derik Queen really tumbles it could make sense. I do like Collin Murray-Boyles, Asa Newell and Thomas Sorber a great deal. Danny Wolf is super intriguing too. There are plenty of wings in that range who could make a lot of sense as well.
I just think with the Sixers’ recent success picking in the second round, I might look to do the opposite — trade back from 35 and try to get a future second-rounder. Also, adding an additional first-rounder on guaranteed money could complicate the team’s financial picture. Second-round picks do not get guaranteed deals.
I’m not enthusiastically #TeamTradeBack, but for the right offer, I’m open to it.
Specifically for Tre Johnson, I can’t imagine he gets past Utah at five. None of the prospects they have in the fold are shooters and, as you mentioned, Johnson is elite in that regard. In a vacuum, I love Carter Bryant’s fit here, but I’m not sold on him as a top-10 player in the draft (just my opinion!). It seems like the consensus agrees with you that you’d likely have to stay in the top 10 to get him.
Hard to say what you’d get. The latest intel makes it sound like the Jazz are happy staying put. It does seem like the Wizards are open for business at No. 6 and they do have plenty of draft capital. But at six you risk missing out on all three of Johnson, Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel.
I’m much higher on Dylan Harper and Edgecombe than you.
Harper is not an elite athlete but he certainly isn’t a poor one. He’s at worst an average NBA athlete, which is fine by me considering how elite his feel for the game is and how good he is as a finisher. Plus, he has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and has strong flashes defensively.
I think people are so focused on Edgecombe’s floor they’ve sort of ignored his ceiling. No, he’s not an elite shot creator right now, but you can develop that. You can’t develop many of his other traits. He was 10th in the Big 12 in points produced per game. Imagine what he can do with more development.
The more I learn about Ace Bailey the more nervous taking him makes me.
To answer your question up front, no. Teams have become much more secretive these days. It’s been widely reported Edgecombe had a positive workout and meeting with the Sixers’ brass recently. It’s also been reported that they’re planning to meet with Bailey. Take that information however you’d like.
When I started covering the team a bit back in 2016, I remember getting to cover draft workouts at PCOM, where the team used to practice before building its facility in Camden. I vividly remember us watching a young Joel Embiid, who hadn’t played a single NBA game yet, working out with us all standing there. It feels surreal thinking back on it.
I remember it being a big deal when local products Josh Hart and DeAndre’ Bembry came for a workout. As you’ll recall, Hart went back to Villanova for another season while Bembry was taken in the first round by the Hawks. I also covered Bembry a bunch at St. Joe’s. He was so awesome and it’s a shame it didn’t work out for him in the NBA.
I wrote a feature on Carsen Edwards after he came in for a draft workout. He was a great kid and it was a great interview. Looks like he’s crushing it overseas so maybe he finds his way back to the NBA.
Last story for you all to indulge me, I was there when Naz Reid had his draft workout with the Sixers. He tweaked his ankle and it basically shut down the workout. That was the last draft workout I covered and nobody covers them anymore. Morey keeps things close to the chest. I can respect the strategy but I did enjoy attending draft workouts.