After months of waiting, we finally know for sure: the Sixers have a first-round pick in next month's 2025 NBA Draft, and they will be on the clock with No. 3 overall selection.
Or will they?
In the first post-lottery Sixers mailbag, let's dive into your questions as we all digest the Sixers landing the third pick behind the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs:
From @jeffreywuhl.bsky.social: Trade up for No. 2? Trade down for a young veteran and No. 7-10? Seems like keeping the No. 3 pick is the least likely outcome.
I disagree with the idea that keeping the pick is the least likely outcome — I believe sticking and picking is always the most likely outcome because trades are difficult to make — but I certainly think the Sixers moving the pick is plausible. Would they move up just one spot to nab Rutgers guard Dylan Harper? San Antonio landing the No. 2 pick could theoretically open the door for those conversations because of their cemented backcourt of De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. But with Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain and likely Quentin Grimes already locked in as future cornerstones, would the Sixers make that move? I am skeptical that these two teams are a match.
So, can the Sixers move down the board and pick up an additional asset or two? It is not hard to come up with trade packages. If any team behind the Sixers in the lottery views Rutgers wing Ace Bailey or Baylor guard/wing V.J. Edgecombe as a no-doubt-about-it star, they will call the Sixers.
There are teams whose lottery dreams were crushed on Monday. The Utah Jazz had a disastrous drop to the No. 5 pick and have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to future first-round picks. If they love a prospect they do not think will be available with the fifth pick, would they give up a valuable first-rounder to move up two spots? They would not be the first team to do that.
The Brooklyn Nets have a similar collection of draft picks, and the Sixers' epic tanking efforts resulted in Brooklyn falling to the No. 8 overall pick. Would the Sixers be willing to drop down five spots to add one of Brooklyn's valuable picks to their collection? The Nets are owed a future Sixers first-rounder — now likely to be a top-eight protected first-round pick in 2028 — could they return that pick to the Sixers to move up five slots?
The only obvious option I see as far as players are concerned is Jabari Smith Jr. of the Houston Rockets, a talented big shooter who could be falling out of favor as he enters his fourth NBA campaign. Could a framework of No. 3, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond (assuming both players pick up their player options) for No. 10 and Smith work for both sides? Would the Sixers need to add No. 35 to that deal, or would they not have enough confidence in their ability to draft a game-changer in the latter region of the lottery?
Part of the value of picking as high as No. 3 is that it generates tremendous flexibility and optionality in these trade talks. If Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey chooses to shop the pick, his phone may begin to overheat.
From @PhilaRoll21: Does Ace Bailey make the most sense for Sixers? Would fit with Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain/Quentin Grimes, Paul George, and Joel Embiid.
In terms of fit from size and positional perspectives, Bailey is a perfect fit with the Sixers. A big wing is precisely what they would love to have in their next long-term building block. But whether or not his skillset makes him a good fit with the players the Sixers have in place is up for debate.
Full disclosure: I have not watched enough of Bailey yet to give a confident assessment of my own — that is what the next six weeks are for! — but I do my best to stay educated on what these players' key strengths and weaknesses are. And Bailey is a player of extremes, which lends itself to his status as the most polarizing prospect in this class.
To some, Bailey is an obvious superstar in the making as a big wing with outstanding shot-making skills and weaknesses that can be worked on in an NBA developmental program. And there is no doubt that Bailey's ability to hit the sorts of shots he made at Rutgers at his size is special:
A fun Ace Bailey shot I haven't seen posted. Can be very spontaneously creative in a pinch pic.twitter.com/unuo164nfp
— Matt Powers (@DraftPow) May 8, 2025
But there are concerns, some of which may be more alarming in the hypothetical context of the Sixers' roster. Bailey's decision-making is suspect, his shot selection is subpar, his handle needs work and he was a total zero as a playmaker for others in college. He has shown defensive flashes, but not consistent defensive impact. Some would argue he is a one-dimensional prospect whose scoring chops should enable him to be useful but whose flaws will prevent him from achieving stardom.
Ultimately, the answer to this question hinges on the Sixers' own evaluation of Bailey, the value of his signature traits and the extent of the damage his issues can cause.
MORE: Post-lottery mock draft roundup
From @norcal823: Why do you think Adam Silver rewarded Nico Harrison for his gross incompetence?
The lottery is not rigged. I promise this is the case no matter how easy it is to fall into the conspiracy theories making the rounds in regards to Dallas landing Cooper Flagg. The NBA conducts the lottery drawing in front of representatives from each NBA team for the specific purpose of guaranteeing integrity. That drawing is recorded and posted online immediately after the results are revealed. You can watch it here.
However, the NBA does have a real problem with its new lottery format, where the odds have been flattened to such a degree that these massive jumps are becoming routine. The NBA claimed to be solving the tanking issue with this change, but all it has done is provide more incentive to bad teams to tank as opposed to just the absolute worst ones. It has made the league's competitive imbalance issue far more significant, because it is becoming much harder for teams to rebuild through the draft.
And, in addition to opening the door for more teams to consider tanking, the worst teams will far more often find themselves in painfully long, multi-year tanks that could be over with had the team drafted a superstar-caliber player earlier on. It is a total mess and was never going to work the way the NBA claimed it would.
MORE: Can you name every player to play for the 2024-25 Sixers?
Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam
Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice