June 21, 2025
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Could the Sixers and Utah Jazz make a blockbuster deal involving Paul George and Lauri Markkanen?
By all indications, the Sixers are exceedingly likely to stick and pick at No. 3 overall on Wednesday when the 2025 NBA Draft begins.
Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe is reportedly the "leader in the clubhouse" to be the pick, but other options remain on the table -- including Rutgers wing Ace Bailey, despite his last-minute cancellation of a meeting and workout that was supposed to take place in Philadelphia this week.
No matter how much closer we get to Adam Silver taking the stage at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn without traction on a deal, though, many are still holding out hope that the Sixers move one spot up to get Rutgers guard Dylan Harper or slide down the board, add assets and tap into the depth of the lottery range in this year's class of prospects.
The only thing that is clear as of this writing is that the Sixers do have interest in moving up to No. 2 overall for Harper. How excited are they about trading down? If so, would they drop by more than a few spots? With four days to go, a ranking of the team's plausible trade partners from least realistic to most realistic:
A league source quickly confirmed HoopsHype's reporting on June 12 that the Sixers had spoken with the San Antonio Spurs, owners of the No. 2 pick, about a trade in which the teams would swap picks. Exactly how far those talks went is unclear, and it is a bit difficult to imagine San Antonio biting when they have a prime opportunity to present Victor Wembanyama with one hell of a long-term sidekick.
The same reasons the Sixers have rightfully inquired about trying to get Harper are the ones that make it hard to fathom an organization as smart as San Antonio giving up the chance to draft him. The Spurs do have De'Aaron Fox and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle in their backcourt, but that also allows them to not put too much pressure on Harper from the outset, aiding his development.
Will Fox, Castle and Harper all be on the Spurs the next time they play in the NBA Finals? Probably not. But as soon as Silver calls Harper's name, he will be the second-most important piece of San Antonio's organization. The Sixers can offer the Spurs a whole lot to just move down one spot. But pairing a 21-year-old of Wembanyama's caliber with a 19-year-old possessing Harper's upside should be a no-brainer.
MORE: What would Sixers offer Spurs in a swap?
The single most popular Sixers trade down idea from the moment the lottery order was determined on May 12 has been moving down four spots and adding Herb Jones, the Pelicans' defensive ace with two years and approximately $28 million left on one of the better role player contracts in the NBA. It would not be wise to play a drinking game involving this specific proposal being broached online:
| Sixers receive... | Pelicans receive... |
| 2025 Pick No. 7 | 2025 Pick No. 3 |
| Herb Jones | Kelly Oubre Jr. |
| Andre Drummond |
However, there is little indication so far that New Orleans would have any interest in using Jones, a starting-caliber wing who is one of the single best defenders in the NBA, to move up from No. 7 to No. 3 in a player with two clear star bets. Finding a realistic deal otherwise was almost impossible -- until last week, when the Pelicans returned Indiana's 2026 first-round pick to the Pacers in exchange for the No. 23 overall pick. Now they have what is at least a viable offer to move up without Jones, though it might still be a bit light:
| Sixers receive... | Pelicans receive... |
| 2025 Pick No. 7 | 2025 Pick No. 3 |
| 2025 Pick No. 23 | Andre Drummond |
| 2031 second-round pick (via TOR) |
If any of New Orleans' younger players had a bit more utility on the Sixers, the Pelicans would be ranked higher on this list. But someone like Jordan Hawkins does not have a path to minutes in Philadelphia, so it would likely be a picks-only package. Unless New Orleans is willing to overpay by trading Jones adding a future first-rounder to this offer, these teams are probably just not a match.
| Sixers receive... | Jazz receive... |
| 2025 Pick No. 5 | 2025 Pick No. 3 |
| 2027 first-round pick (second-most favorable of UTA/CLE/MIN) | Andre Drummond |
| Taylor Hendricks | Lonnie Walker IV |
This is the most underrated possibility. While the Sixers' love of Edgecombe appears genuine, what if the team is strategically putting out that sentiment because they know that Charlotte is right behind them with a clear desire to take the Baylor star. Charlotte's love of Edgecombe has become an open secret, and perhaps the Sixers are hoping to bait the Hornets into overpaying for a one-spot jump.
Every player on Charlotte's roster is either not nearly interesting enough for the Sixers to acquire in a trade or far too interesting for the Hornets to give up. But the Hornets have a pair of early second-rounders and a low-upside 2026 first-rounder at their disposal. If the Hornets truly are in love with Edgecombe as a fit with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller and the Sixers' belief in him is overstated, perhaps Charlotte can be taken advantage of:
| Sixers receive... | Hornets receive... |
| 2025 Pick No. 4 | 2025 Pick No. 3 |
| 2025 Pick No. 34 | Andre Drummond |
| 2026 first-round pick (least favorable of PHX/WAS/ORL/MEM) |
Between shedding Drummond's salary, dropping down one spot in the rookie scale and having a second-round pick on the roster that would otherwise be a veteran's minimum player, the Sixers can save in the neighborhood of $7 million in 2025-26 salary while ensuring they will have a first-rounder in 2026.
MORE: 2025 NBA Mock Draft 3.0, with trades
Washington is also said to covet Edgecombe, and the framework of a deal for them to move up is incredibly simple:
| Sixers receive... | Wizards receive... |
| 2025 Pick No. 6 | 2025 Pick No. 3 |
| 2025 Pick No. 18 | Andre Drummond |
Perhaps someone who is ambitious can get more creative -- would the Wizards eat George's contract and send back Khris Middleton's expiring deal, and would the Sixers actually want that? -- but this is an Occam's razor sort of situation. The Wizards have a pair of first-round picks that are roughly equal in value to the Sixers' lone first-rounder. Perhaps Washington would also throw in Villanova product Saddiq Bey and take back one other negligible salary if the Sixers want another chance at adding a rotation contributor in 2025-26.
Washington's pair of first-rounders is the most suitable for a trade with the Sixers, and they are also easily capable of absorbing Drummond as well. But there is one team that has a trump card...
The Brooklyn Nets have four first-round picks next week -- No. 8 overall in the lottery, plus No. 19 and back-to-back selections at No. 26 and No. 27 -- and the No. 36 overall pick. But they also own the Sixers' 2028 first-round pick -- with a top-eight protection -- because of the James Harden-for-Ben Simmons trade.
Moving down five spots should be about the Sixers' limit, but Brooklyn could make a dream offer for the Sixers: a lottery pick, another pick in the middle of the first round, salary relief by taking on Drummond and giving the Sixers control back of their own draft capital after they likely give their 2026 first-rounder to Oklahoma City:
| Sixers receive... | Nets receive... |
| 2025 Pick No. 8 | 2025 Pick No. 3 |
| 2025 Pick No. 19 | Andre Drummond |
| 2028 first-round pick returned |
Even if Brooklyn feels this offer is too rich -- NetsDaily writer Lucas Kaplan did when presented with the offer in hypothetical negotiations last month -- replacing No. 19 with one of No. 26 or No. 27 could be enough, too.
MORE: Negotiating trades with other NBA writers
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