The Philadelphia 76ers won the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery and are now in a position to possibly select an exciting prospect to play alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George. With the draft on the horizon, team executive Daryl Morey dropped a four-word statement about the organization’s plans for draft night.
With essentially every scenario on the table, Morey was asked what the 76ers plan to do. There are numerous top prospects that could be selected, including Rutgers forward Ace Bailey or Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe. The 76ers executive didn’t give too much insight and insisted that Philly would pick whoever it felt was “the best available player”, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
“There is no shortage of draft projection already making the rounds to suggest Philadelphia will be choosing between Rutgers forward Ace Bailey or Baylor guard V.J. Edgecombe at No. 3. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey would only say after the lottery proceedings that he intends to select ‘the best player available.'”
Fischer also ponders what else the 76ers could do in the NBA Draft in June. There is a possibility that Philadelphia opts to trade back, or even trade the selection for another star-caliber player. Trading back gives the organization a chance to find more young talent to build around its three superstars, allowing the front office to continue navigating around the contracts of Embiid, Maxey, and George.
The 76ers have plenty of decisions to make, as the club has a chance to gain back a ton of cap space this offseason. Kyle Lowry, Guerschon Yabusele, and Jalen Hood-Schifino are all set to be unrestricted free agents. Meanwhile, Quentin Grimes and Jeff Dowtin are due to be restricted free agents.
Additionally, the 76ers have team options for three players in Justin Edwards, Lonnie Walker IV, and Jared Butler. However, three guys on the roster have player options in Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon.
Either way, the franchise is set to regain some cap space to allow the front office to go after some enticing free agents. Pair that with the No. 3 pick overall in the NBA Draft, and the 76ers are in line to have a monstrous offseason to generate a potential playoff-caliber roster.
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