It seems the closer the 2025 NBA Draft draws near, the more uncertain the path for the Philadelphia 76ers is.
Names continue to be thrown at the board to see what sticks as rumors continue to pour out, suggesting the Sixers are interested in, well, just about everything from standing pat to trading up, down, or even out.
Sixers 2025 mock draft
This week, as we continue to examine the team’s options, we use reporting from around the league to inspire a potential mock trade down that would result in the Sixers landing not only an exciting young prospect but also a proven veteran.
Rumors of the Sixers shopping the third pick are nothing new. What has caught the attention of many in the Sixers-sphere is a pair of recent podcasts, mentioning the New Orleans Pelicans as a team that could potentially trade up for Ace Bailey.
Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor recently spoke about these rumblings on a recent episode of his self-titled podcast.
“Personally, if I’m Philadelphia, I’d be very, very open to trading down. I’ve heard the Pelicans at No. 7 like Ace Bailey. Joe Dumars [is] there, [it] sounds like he really likes Ace Bailey, could try to trade up to No. 3 to Philly or No. 4 with Charlotte,” O’Connor said.
This is not the first mention of the Pelicans’ interest in Ace Bailey. Shamit Dua of In The N.O. previously commented on New Orleans’ affiliation with the Rutgers Wing during a recent podcast.
So we have multiple sources alleging interest in Bailey from New Orleans, but how do they obtain the third pick? Let’s look at a deal to do this (There will also be a piece with a variant trade piece tomorrow featuring a special guest, so be on the lookout).
PROPOSED TRADE
Pelicans Receive: No. 3 pick, Andre Drummond, and Ricky Council IV
Sixers Receive: No. 7 pick, Herb Jones
There are a few different directions trade talks between the Sixers and Pelicans could go. New Orleans owns some truly interesting future draft picks tied to the Milwaukee Bucks while also boasting a number of players who could interest the Sixers.
Outside of Trey Murphy, who the Sixers would be unlikely to land while retaining a top-10 pick, Herb Jones is rightfully the first name that comes to mind.
The six-foot-seven-inch wing offers little offensively, but is one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders. With defense being a notable issue last season for the Sixers regardless of health, improving the team’s ability on that end while ensuring they still add a quality young talent is close to the ideal scenario.
The Pelicans’ future is muddy, especially considering all of the discussion around star Zion Williamson. They are frankly not in a position to win next season, but spending the year developing Ace Bailey and further developing Murphy, Jordan Hawkins, and Yves Missi could make New Orleans quite the interesting team come 2026 and beyond. Adding a veteran center to oversee Missi’s growth and a young physical wing in Ricky Council IV is merely icing on the cake.
With the seventh pick…
The tide turns quickly in the days before the NBA Draft. Last week, we selected Duke sharpshooter Kon Knueppel with the eighth pick in the draft. Now, it seems Kon will be in the mix to become a potential top-five pick.
As each prospect moves up teams’ big boards, another must fall in a counter move. While this has admittedly created far more uncertainty than certainty about the direction the draft will take after the top-two picks, it also creates a window of opportunity for the Sixers.
Among the several polarizing prospects who sit near the top of this draft is Texas wing Tre Johnson.
An elite shooter, Tre Johnson is often thought of as the second-best shooter in this class to Kon Knueppel. While Kon may have him in flat percentages, Tre has shown as an even more interesting shot diet which consists of high-volume, highly efficient shots from deep.
Watching Tre play the game, you can see the makings of what could be the shot-making confidence of an Anthony Edwards, or in a much less hopeful case, a Nick Young or Terrence Ross.
There is some hope that Johnson could continue to develop his handling, far more evidence of that possibility with him than either Ace Bailey or V.J. Edgecombe, but he remains far from ready to take over an offense in the half-court.
Speaking of the half-court, Johnson struggled often at the rim in half-court situations. He’ll need to bulk up to address that issue, but this is often true of one-and-done prospects.
Johnson’s most notable concerns are legitimate, especially his apparent lack of interest defensively. Still, he is young, 19, and boasts the body and athletic profile to grow into a plus-defender should he lock in, so becoming at least serviceable is potentially within the cards for him, as long as he buys in.
Johnson has garnered some high praise in the draft preparation process, seemingly answering many of the questions scouts had of him after his freshman season. Still, a season’s worth of tape does not get simply overwritten by interviews and workouts.
With the thirty-fifth pick…
Jamir Watkins is a player who has risen up second-round draft boards recently. This is in part due to a host of prospects returning to school for NIL paydays, but also because Watkins’s profile matches what nearly every team needs: a disruptive, positionally versatile defender with fluid athleticism.
Watkins has quick and smart hands capable of stripping ball-handlers and working his way between lanes to break up passes and move in transition. At 6’6″ with a 6’11.25″ wingspan and weighing 215 pounds, a wing who guards multiple positions, especially having proven himself capable as a finisher and a potential secondary playmaker.
At 35, the Sixers could have a role player for years to come in Watkins.
