The Philadelphia 76ers have set themselves up nicely for this season. With Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid all under contract for the next four years at a minimum, it’s clear that the Sixers are trying to win now. Add in a revamped roster full of veterans, playoff performers, and exciting young guys, and the Sixers look to be set up for success come the 2024 season and beyond.
None of this amazing offseason could have been possible without the James Harden trade that led to the cap space to sign George, Caleb Martin, and Andre Drummond.
One of the most overlooked aspects of the James Harden trade is the two draft picks Philadelphia acquired for the former MVP. Of course, the Sixers’s summer acquisitions are the biggest deal for Philadelphia. However, those two picks may be some of the most valuable future firsts.
In the Harden trade, alongside K.J. Martin, Nico Batum, and Robert Covington, the Sixers received the Clippers’s unprotected 2028 first-round pick and the right to swap picks in 2029 if the Clippers fall outside of the top three.
The Future
If we time-travel to what 2028 could look like, the Clippers could be in a really bad place. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard would be 38 and 36, respectively, at the time of the draft. The Clippers wouldn’t have had their own pick for years, as the Thunder would have had the right to swap or just outright keep the pick this entire time.
The Clippers also have no second-round picks at this time, as they’re scattered throughout the league. Philadelphia will just be coming off of 38-year-old Paul George’s contract. Joel Embiid will have a player option to stay in Philadelphia at age 34. Tyrese Maxey will be coming into a contract year at 28-years-old.
With the Paul George era coming to an end and Tyrese Maxey taking over the reins as the number one guy in Philadelphia, the Sixers could feasibly end up with what could be one of the best picks in the draft at this time.
Few picks to make trades with and no high draft picks to pick up a blue-chip guy could put the Clippers in a similar situation to the 2016 Brooklyn Nets, who had no way to acquire star players and had to watch their best draft picks go to the Boston Celtics. Philadelphia and Oklahoma City could be the next team to benefit similarly, given how the future looks now.
If and when to sell
That being said, the future of the NBA is one of the hardest things to predict. Back in 2019, the Sixers had one of the most valuable future draft picks in the league with an unprotected 2021 first-round pick from the Miami Heat. The Heat at the time were led by Josh Richardson, Justice Winslow, and Hassan Whiteside. Many people around the league viewed this pick as one of the most valuable in the league. The pick was ultimately traded to the Clippers as the center of the Tobias Harris deal.
Back in 2019, the Heat looked like they were destined to become a bad team soon. Then Jimmy Butler joined the team, Bam Adebayo broke out, and the pick ended up being far from the top-five pick it seemed destined to become. While this pick was seen as extremely valuable and was eventually used in a blockbuster deal to get Paul George to the Clippers, the pick only became the 18th pick in the draft.
The future of the NBA is always unpredictable. While the Sixers should definitely covet their future Clippers first, if the difference between a championship and a second-round exit is trading these picks, the Sixers should be willing to sell high while the value is guaranteed.
If you’ve ever heard the phrase ‘Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,’ this is the exact situation they were thinking of when it was first spoken. The Sixers have some extremely valuable pieces of draft capital right now. All it takes for that value to tank is a star player wanting to play in Los Angeles once they find some cap space or for a late-round pick to break out as a rising star. Philadelphia should still be smart about trades involving the future Clippers picks.
It’s not very often that contending teams with a ton of proven talent have the luxury of drafting high up in the draft. It’s also not very often that predictions made half a decade ago are 100% correct. Ultimately, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and General Manager Elton Brand will have the final say on what happens with these picks and if this past offseason is any indication, they will work tirelessly to make the right choices.
