Sixers Seen as Candidate to Trade Asset This Offseason

Will the Philadelphia 76ers keep their first-round pick?

Feb 15, 2022; Camden, NJ, USA; Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into a busy offseason. With a ton of expiring contracts coming off the books, Daryl Morey and his front office anticipate having a ton of cap space.

Along with having money to spend, the Sixers also have some draft assets available as well. Last season, when they entered the NBA Draft, the Sixers were pick-less and searching for a way to trade into the second round.

This year, they own their first-rounder, and are expected to go on the clock at No. 16.

Well, they are expected to for now, at least.

The Sixers believe they are in their championship window. With an MVP winner in Joel Embiid and a first-time All-Star in Tyrese Maxey, Philly knows they have to build a championship-contending roster for next season.

Will there be a prospect that could crack the rotation for this team at 16? Based on Daryl Morey’s final comments after the 2024 playoff run, that’s doubtful.

You can expect the Sixers to be linked to trade candidates this offseason. And based on Morey’s final comments, along with reporting from The Athletic, it seems there is a good chance the Sixers could trade away their most valuable draft asset this offseason.

“The 76ers are seen league-wide as a candidate to trade their pick,” wrote Sam Vecenie. “Either they will need to move their pick for a star, or they’ll need to create enough cap space to add a star and more talent in free agency.”

There is value beyond the lottery, and Morey and the Sixers have found it before. Back in 2020, the Sixers selected Tyrese Maxey out of Kentucky with the 21st overall pick. In the long run, Maxey panned out and became an All-Star, but that nod came in year four.

May 2, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives for a / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

During his rookie season, Maxey averaged 15 minutes off the bench in 61 games. He produced eight points and two assists per game that year. It’s not impossible to develop on a playoff-contending team, with Maxey being proof. But it’s rare for a mid-round selection to be an immediate contributor on a team that’s not in the early stages of a rebuild.

“Immediate help probably never comes in the draft,” Morey said last week. “There’s really only something less than 10 but greater than five players picked in the range we’re picking in that are good in the first year. That said, we don’t really focus on the draft for help now.”

The Sixers have over a month to decide whether they will keep the 16th pick or not. The last time they made a first-round selection was in 2021, when they took Jaden Springer after being rumored to trade away the pick for over a month.

The following year, the Sixers went on the clock with the 23rd pick, but traded out with the Memphis Grizzlies in order to land the veteran guard, De’Anthony Melton.

Soon, we’ll see what happens this time around.