Could Sixers Land a Pick in the 2023 NBA Draft?

The Sixers are working on landing a selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.

As of Wednesday morning, the Philadelphia 76ers do not possess a pick in Thursday night’s draft. Could that soon change? It seems Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey is on a mission to trade his way into the 2023 NBA Draft.

For the 2023 draft, the Sixers’ first-round selection was initially traded to the Brooklyn Nets in the deal that landed the Sixers James Harden. The pick was then involved in a trade between the Nets and the Utah Jazz.

As for Philadelphia’s second-round selection, the pick was forfeited after the NBA concluded the Sixers tampered ahead of the acquisitions of PJ Tucker and Danuel House.

For a while, the Sixers were well aware that they might not have any incoming prospects via the draft. If they fail to garner a selection in Thursday’s event, it will mark the second-straight season the Sixers don’t make any picks.

Last year, the Sixers ended up with a late first-round selection after Brooklyn deferred the traded pick in the Harden deal to this year. While the Sixers held onto the selection up until they were on the clock, the pick was moved in a deal along with the veteran Danny Green to land De’Anthony Melton from the Memphis Grizzlies.

A couple of weeks back, the Sixers were rumored to potentially trade their way into the second round. On Tuesday, Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice reiterated that remains one of the Sixers’ key plans to building out their roster for next season.

“A source familiar with Philadelphia’s strategy told PhillyVoice on Tuesday that the team is exploring multiple options to acquire a second-round pick. The most likely scenario is that the Sixers simply buy a second-round pick — a source said that Sixers ownership has given the green light to Daryl Morey to be aggressive in his attempts to get into the 2023 draft. There is some belief that they could acquire a pick in the mid-to-late 40s and potentially add a future rotation player on a team-friendly contract.”

Since signing on with the Sixers, Daryl Morey has been involved in three drafts. During the 2020 offseason, Morey made a total of three picks, with two of those selections coming in the 40s range.

After landing Tyrese Maxey out of Kentucky with the 21st overall pick, the Sixers moved two of their picks in the 30s range before making another selection at No. 49. That’s when the Sixers landed Isaiah Joe out of Arkansas.

Eight picks later, Morey and the Sixers drafted a versatile big man Paul Reed out of DePaul. In the following draft, the Sixers used all three of their picks, beginning with the selection of Jaden Springer out of Tennessee at No. 28.

Beyond the first round, the Sixers double-dipped on bigs by snagging Filip Petrusev out of Gonzaga at No. 50 and taking Charles Bassey out of Western Kentucky at No. 53. Bassey remains the Sixers’ latest draft selection.

History bodes well for Philadelphia’s second-round talent evaluations for the most part. While Joe and Bassey didn’t play much for the Sixers, they went on to show some promise with another team. Joe landed with the Oklahoma City Thunder following his stint in Philadelphia and turned into a 41 percent shooter from deep, averaging ten points per game off the bench.

Meanwhile, Charles Bassey was given another chance with the San Antonio Spurs, where he was initially picked up on a two-way contract. After quickly showing upside, the Spurs began to utilize Bassey on the main roster before eventually signing him to a standard multi-year contract.

As for Paul Reed, who remains a restricted free agent for the Sixers this offseason, he showed a lot of growth and promise over the last two seasons. While he didn’t always have the trust of former 76ers head coach Doc Rivers, Reed was Joel Embiid’s go-to backup during the 2023 playoff run.

The jury is still out on Petrusev, who has yet to make his NBA debut. While 2023-2024 could be the season the Sixers call on their Euro stash to make his way back to the States, the former Gonzaga product’s future is unclear at the moment. 

The 76ers have yet to squeeze their way into the 2023 NBA Draft, but all signs point to Philadelphia potentially acquiring a pick in the second round.