Daryl Morey Says 76ers Plan to 'Keep' No. 3 Pick in 2025 NBA Draft After Lottery
The Philadelphia 76ers have an interesting summer ahead of them as they look to get healthy and build a championship contender around Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey after a bitterly disappointing 2024-25 campaign.
The Sixers lucked out on Monday night, moving up to the No. 3 pick in the NBA draft lottery despite coming into the night with the fifth-best odds (and facing the possibility of losing the pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it dropped below No. 6).
It doesn't sound as though the Sixers will dangle that selection to bring aboard more veteran talent, however.
"Our plan is to keep it," the team's president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey, told reporters regarding the No. 3 pick.
The expectation is that the Dallas Mavericks will take Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall, while the San Antonio Spurs are a wild card at No. 2 and could either stay put or perhaps trade it for a veteran star (cough, cough, Giannis Antetokounmpo, cough).
That means the Sixers will likely be choosing between two of Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and VJ Edgecombe. Size and athleticism on the wing is a clear need for the Sixers, as is getting younger, so it would make sense for Philly to happily take a player like Bailey or Edgecombe.
"I was very focused on finding veteran-type players who generally perform very well in the playoffs, and I didn't put enough emphasis on the team getting through the regular season," Morey said back in April regarding his team-building philosophy ahead of the 2024-25 season. "So next season we for sure will be a younger, more dynamic group."
Granted, that will leave them with players on varying timelines. But Jared McCain made an immediate impact for the team last year before a knee surgery in December ended his season, so the hope will be that the No. 3 selection is able to contribute both immediately and in the long term.
