The Philadelphia 76ers hold the No. 3 pick in the NBA Draft, giving them a plethora of options. Here are a few other scenarios they’re considering in the days leading up to the draft:
D'Angelo Russell A Draft Possibility For Philadelphia?
Dynamic Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell may be the prize the Sixers looking for in the first round.
Here’s Mike Sielski of The Inquirer with the report:
Beyond the 19.3 points, the 5.7 rebounds, and the 5.0 assists he averaged for Ohio State in his only season of college basketball, Russell promises to be perhaps the most intriguing player in the draft, driving a debate that will define the 76ers’ selection and maybe much of their future.
An NBA executive told The Inquirer last week that Russell is “the guy they want. That’s the word around the league.” That perception exists in part because the most valuable assets on the Sixers’ roster are two post players, Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel, and it’s natural to presume that the Sixers might covet Russell based solely on a desire to strengthen their backcourt, that they’d bypass both Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor for Russell or Emmanuel Mudiay.
After pawning off Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee, the time may be now for the 76ers to reload in the backcourt and snatch Russell off the board early in the draft.
Philly willing to trade Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid if they draft Jahlil Okafor?
Duke center Jahlil Okafor is expected to be a top-two pick in the NBA Draft, but if he somehow falls to No. 3, the Sixers won't hesitate to draft him.
When asked in a recent chat whether or not the Sixers would be willing to trade Nerlens Noel or Joel Embiid if they are able to secure Okafor in the 2015 NBA Draft, ESPN NBA insider Chad Ford indicated that such moves are a possibility due to the current state of the team:
Of course they’ll look. They’d look at dealing Okafor too. Sam Hinkie looks at this process as acquiring assets. He’s going to grab the best asset and then figure out fit versus trade. I do think all three could be on the roster next year and there would be enough minutes to play all of them. You really can’t have too many bigs. But I doubt Hinkie would be married to any of them if the right offer came through. By the way, when your team is this bad, that’s exactly the way to play it. When you are looking for the last piece to the championship puzzle — that’s when chemistry and fit and all of that come into play. Right now the Sixers are so far away, it’s about collecting assets. Has to be.
In short, don’t be surprised if the team’s 2015-16 roster is completely shaken to its core by a major trade or two.
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