There is nothing Sixers fans want the team to achieve more for the rest of this season than to get their logo on as many ping pong balls as they possibly can. With the team likely out of the postseason race at this juncture, the attention has fully shifted to the fate of the Sixers' first-round pick, which will only stick with the team if it lands in the top six. Otherwise, it will belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It is easy to lock in on Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, and any team that lands the No. 1 overall selection will take Flagg without any second thoughts. In discussing the possibility of the Sixers hanging onto their first-rounder, the most common perspective has been the value in adding a very young contributor who can become one of the future cornerstones of the franchise in a post-Joel Embiid world.
But what if the Sixers end up with the No. 5 or No. 6 pick, for example? That region of the draft is stacked with intriguing guard-sized prospects. The Sixers' three strongest long-term building blocks right now, however, are all of a similar ilk. With Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain locked in for years to come and Quentin Grimes emerging as a foundational piece, could the Sixers see the draft board break in a way that does not favor their needs and look to trade their pick instead?
Trading for a veteran
Bringing back Grimes in restricted free agency and finding the funds to pay Guerschon Yabusele are the team's most likely priorities in free agency, and they will need some financial wiggle room to make it all work within the confines of a roster that will include nearly $150 million worth of commitments to Embiid, Maxey and Paul George. If the Sixers send out more salary than they take back in any deal, they will be hard-capped for the entire league year, unable to surpass a certain threshold under any circumstances.
So if the Sixers were to trade their first-rounder and do so for a player who helps them win in the short-term, they would be very limited in how much salary they can take back — greatly narrowing the field of possible targets and reducing the likelihood of a deal. The maximum salary they would realistically take back in this scenario is probably in the ballpark of $12.5 million, and that is assuming Andre Drummond decides to pick up his $5 million player option before the draft occurs.
The path to that money: sending Drummond's expiring contract to another team, then picking up team options for Jared Butler and Lonnie Walker IV, projected to be worth approximately $5.2 million combined, and sending those out in a deal. Ricky Council IV's non-guaranteed salary of $2.2 million provides a bit more financial capacity.
So, who in that price range makes sense? Not a lot of players. Donte DiVincenzo of the Minnesota Timberwolves is someone who the Sixers could squeeze in money-wise, but he is also a guard-sized player who has had an underwhelming season. Most veteran players ready to help a team win make far more than $12.5 million these days, and the ones who do not are major assets.
The message here: do not expect this archetype of trade.
MORE: 5 players you should know about for the NBA Draft
Trading for a young player
The vast majority of players who fit into this salary range and are capable of helping teams win are ones who remain on the NBA's rookie scale. Productive players are rarely traded while still on their first contracts, but it does happen every now and then, particularly when teams are balking at potential extension numbers. First-round picks become eligible to sign extensions in between their third and fourth seasons, meaning this offseason's crop of extension candidates will be the 2022 NBA Draft class. If a productive player entering his extension window is on a team that is unwilling or unable to pay him his market value, that team could look to capitalize on their value.
It is hard not to dream about players from that class who could help any team. Even beyond the stars like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Paolo Banchero, who are untouchable, there are some terrific role players 29 other teams would love to have, whether it be Keegan Murray of the Sacramento Kings or Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks. However, there are no indications that those players are available, as it typically requires a unique set of circumstances for that to be the case.
One player who could conceivably be available because of an unusual team context is Jabari Smith Jr., the No. 3 overall pick of the Houston Rockets in 2022. Smith, who will not turn 22 years old for another two-plus months, is a very good athlete at 6-foot-11 with impressive three-point volume. He is a far better long-range shooter than his career 33.7 three-point percentage indicates, as he takes a lot of difficult attempts and has made more than 80 percent of his free throw attempts as an NBA player.
Smith was a nightly starter for the Rockets up until he broke his hand in early January. During an absence that lasted nearly two months, second-year player Amen Thompson established himself as a franchise pillar for the Rockets. Smith has been in and out of the starting five since returning, and with the Rockets' massive collection of young players who need more playing time and development, it is not difficult to imagine Houston's front office deciding it has not seen enough from Smith to justify paying him.
Another name worth keeping an eye on: Bennedict Mathurin, the 22-year-old scoring wing of the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, long hesitant to pay the luxury tax, have some extremely difficult financially-motivated decisions to make in the summer ahead, most notably pertaining to the future of longtime starting center and free agent-to-be Myles Turner and possible extension talks with Mathurin, who has not been given complete runway due to the Pacers' depth on the wing. Mathurin was recently moved to the bench, but still plays a crucial role for the Pacers. The Sixers would need to have conviction that Mathurin, who stands at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, would have the ability to defend some of the game's better wings on a consistent basis.
MORE: Sixers fans, 'back in their comfort zone,' return to Tankathon
Trading down
If the Sixers were to make a trade involving their first-round pick this June, a simple trade down is the overwhelming leader in the clubhouse as far as the framework of a deal. As things stand on the day of this writing, it feels difficult to imagine the team drafting a true center while still on the hook for nearly $250 million with Embiid's remaining contract. And while Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey would not pass on a blue chip prospect for an inferior player for the sake of fit, it is difficult to shake the feeling that drafting another guard with this premium pick would create a logjam of sorts while the team has depth issues elsewhere.
Things are not barren for the Sixers on the wing — George remains a quality starter, even if not a star, while Grimes can slide up to the three in spurts and Justin Edwards has earned consideration as a future rotational piece. Kelly Oubre Jr. could be back as well. But that still feels like the spot where the Sixers, in a perfect world, would be able to add some sort of infusion of young talent. It just might not line up if they keep their pick without being in a position to select Flagg or Rutgers wing Ace Bailey, who is a far more polarizing prospect.
Given the sheer volume of first-round picks in this draft that have already been moved, it is not too difficult to find avenues for the Sixers to slide down the board and pick up some value in the process. A few trade partners that could make sense:
• The Orlando Magic have a stellar two-way guard in Jalen Suggs, but still lack a dynamic ball-handler who can help add a new dimension to their offense. In what has become a hellish season for the Magic, their first-round pick will now likely be in the mid-teens. They also own the Denver Nuggets' first-round pick thanks to the Aaron Gordon trade. Such a deal would present an opportunity for the Sixers to take multiple stabs at drafting new core players rather than taking one swing on someone who may not make a ton of sense positionally.
• While the Utah Jazz will be picking very high with their own selection, CEO Danny Ainge has a massive collection of future draft picks at his disposal if he decides there is another high-caliber prospect worth making a run at. Could the Sixers use the reclamation of their own first-round pick as a means to restock their own assets long-term, suddenly giving them a
• Oklahoma City already has its entire current roster under contract for next season, with one team option, one non-guaranteed salary and 13 guaranteed deals. And even if the Thunder do not add the Sixers' first-rounder this year to their collection of prized assets, they will have the Los Angeles Clippers' first-rounder, and if the Miami Heat are successful in their playoff push, their first-round pick will belong to the Thunder as well. With limited roster space, they could look to consolidate two picks in the middle of the first round for one that enables them to take a higher-percentage swing.
And then, of course, there are even more simple trade concepts, where the Sixers move down a few spots and add an extra second-round pick, or even move down a few spots as compensation for someone taking on Drummond's $5 million salary and giving the Sixers some of that helpful financial wiggle room.
But before they can deliberate about draft prospects and trade scenarios, the Sixers must do everything in their power to ensure their pick sticks in its protected range. That will not be easy.
MORE: Sixers tank watch 2.0
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice