Drafting Baylor guard at No. 3 overall would be best move for 76ers

Givony said Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe "impressed" the 76ers brass in his visit and workout last week and spent time with star guard Tyrese Maxey. Bailey has been "sending signals" that he does not want to play in Philadelphia, per Givony, which has allowed the 76ers to zero in on Edgecombe.

Quite frankly, Edgecombe is a better fit alongside Maxey, center Joel Embiid and forward Paul George than Bailey.

Edgecombe is an undersized guard at 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, but he's an elite athlete who can defend on the wing. If he fills out his frame and improves his three-point shooting, Edgecombe can develop into a strong two-way player for the 76ers.

Philadelphia could also trade the pick, but the front office needs to do what is best for the organization in the long term.

As much as the 76ers want to compete right now — especially in a wide-open Eastern Conference with significant injuries to Celtics guard Jayson Tatum, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and Bucks guard Damian Lillard — sacrificing the future to build around Embiid is malpractice.

The 31-year-old center has played in 58 regular-season games over the last two seasons and typically isn't healthy by the time the playoffs come around.

Instead, Philadelphia needs to structure the roster around Maxey. Trading Embiid and/or George would be ideal, but the 76ers would likely have to give up some draft capital to a team to take one of those egregious contracts.

With Bailey clearly paving his way to another situation and Philadelphia's near future in doubt, the 76ers need to prioritize the future of the organization with Maxey as the cornerstone asset. Drafting Edgecombe is the first step in that process.