Naturally, our entire focus over the last 28 days has been on what the Sixers will do with the No. 3 overall pick — from which players they could select to possible trade partners and everything in between.
But to have the best sense of what will go down when the first round is held on June 25, one must have a good sense of other teams on the board with important decisions to make.
In this week's 5 Sixers thoughts, a slew of other teams with fascinating decisions to make on draft day — two of which could directly impact the Sixers:
Brooklyn Nets
It is not particularly bold to lead with the team owning more picks than any other in the draft, but even after dropping to the No. 8 pick after an unfavorable lottery drawing, the Nets have a more valuable set of picks in 2025 than any team outside of Dallas and San Antonio.
Brooklyn has a whopping four first-rounders — outside of their lottery pick, they also own the No. 19 pick, the No. 26 pick and the No. 27 pick, with an early second-rounder at No. 36 as well. This is a team whose draft strategy could directly impact the Sixers; if Brooklyn wants to be aggressive moving up the board they are very logical trade partners for the Sixers. If the Sixers moved down five spots, regaining their 2028 first-round pick — currently owed to Brooklyn with a top-eight protection as a result of the Ben Simmons-for-James Harden trade — would be a stronger return than any of the Nets’ picks later in the first round this year.
But if Brooklyn rightfully refuses to put that asset back on the table, their volume of picks could still make a deal enticing for the Sixers if the team ultimately decide the difference between picking at No. 3 and No. 8 is negligible enough to try accumulating assets.
If Brooklyn does not move up from No. 8, it is easy to imagine an effort is made to consolidate two or even three of their later picks to get back into the lottery. It all depends on how the board shakes out and which prospect the come away with at No. 8, but perhaps No. 19 and one of their picks in the late-20s can enable them to get into the mid-teens.
What makes Brooklyn especially interesting is that they do not just have lots of picks, but also lots of needs. There is no telling which prospects they will select in any slot, nobody on their roster renders an entire position or archetype “filled.”
There is no outcome in terms of picks or trades that can be ruled out for the Nets, which makes for an exciting final few weeks of speculation.
MORE: Negotiating Sixers trade downs with writers covering Nets, other teams
Oklahoma City Thunder
Not that anyone will ever complain about it, but teams participating in the NBA Finals generally have to pull off an extremely quick turnaround to be ready for the offseason. If Oklahoma City and the Indiana Pacers go the distance, there would only be two days in between Game 7 of the NBA Finals and the beginning of the draft.
Luckily, Oklahoma City's entire 2024-25 roster is already under contract for 2025-26. They will run back their 68-win team next year while adding 2024 lottery pick Nikola Topić, who will be 20 years old and could fill the backup point guard spot which is currently the lone theoretical hole on their roster. They will almost certainly do all of it while remaining below the luxury tax threshold.
That makes it all the more interesting that the Thunder own the No. 15 and No. 24 picks, originally belonging to the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers. Oklahoma City could choose to clear a roster spot or maybe two, though most of their players are too good to toss aside.
If they got rid of one player, they could package their two first-rounders to move up for a higher-caliber prospect — they certainly have enough future draft capital to help get any deal across the finish line. If they do not, they can try packaging their two first-round picks for a premium future first-rounder with a chance of being a top pick; if that does not work out they can trade out with both picks and acquire decent future first-rounders in exchange for each.
As always, Oklahoma City has more options than everybody else. It is the result of one of the single greatest periods of decision-making by a front office in NBA history.
Orlando Magic
Orlando picks at No. 16 and No. 27 (the latter pick comes from Denver), and also has a pair of second-round picks. But like the Thunder, the Magic do not have a ton of roster space. They can make their picks and figure out the rest later, as four of their players have team options. But at least three of them are players Orlando should hope to retain in some fashion.
Meanwhile, Orlando is painfully desperate for some offensive firepower on the perimeter. They appear to finally be ready to act accordingly. With two first-rounders, two second-rounders, plenty of tradable future picks and a moderately interesting collection of young players, perhaps they can move up into the middle of the lottery.
Kon Knueppel from Duke would be a terrific fit there; so would Tre Johnson from Texas. Neither player is a good defensive prospect, but Orlando has more than enough talent on that end to mollify those concerns.
If Orlando fails to trade up, that No. 26 pick could be a landing spot if someone picking early in the second round wants to be aggressive and jump the line on the prospect of their choosing.
MORE: Statistical cases for, against Sixers drafting Ace Bailey
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland only owns the No. 11 pick, but the makeup of their roster makes them an interesting team to watch as the draft gets going.
The Trail Blazers have a logjam at center which is headlined by 2024 lottery pick Donovan Clingan and also includes Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III.
As far as ball-handling is concerned, Scoot Henderson is still just two years removed from being the No. 3 pick and is only 21 years old, while Anfernee Simons has stuck as a mainstay in Portland.
In between, the Blazers have a strong starting wing in Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant on a contract that likely prevents him from being traded, Toumani Camara coming off an All-Defense nod and another recent lottery pick in Shaedon Sharpe.
All of this is to say: Portland does not have any pressing needs positionally, the sort of standing which generally lends itself to moving down.
Washington Wizards
Washington and Utah were the lottery’s biggest losers, dropping out of the top four entirely despite posting the two worst records in the NBA. The Wizards pick at No. 6, but also own the No. 18 pick from the Memphis Grizzlies and the No. 40 pick in the second round.
The Sixers tie here: if they want to move down but cannot strike a deal with Brooklyn — or view moving down only three spots to No. 6 as considerably more enticing than dropping down another two spots to No. 8 — a deal of No. 6 and No. 18 for No. 3 seems viable, at least as the basic framework of a deal.
Of course, the Wizards could very well view this class in the same way the Sixers fans wanting their team to move down do. If they also believe there are five or six prospects in the same tier after Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, they have no reason to move up. If Washington’s front office believes Ace Bailey or VJ Edgecombe is a franchise-altering talent, their only chance to select them would be moving up.
MORE: Mock draft 1.0, with trades and my first prediction of Sixers' pick at No. 3
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