NBA rumors: 76ers not expected to make ‘full-on’ bid to retain draft pick amid woes | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Despite a nightmarish start to the 2024-25 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly not ready to hit the gas just yet in an effort to retain their 2025 first-round draft pick.

According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, league sources don’t believe the Sixers will make a “full effort” to keep their picks, largely due to the fact that they barely had their top lineup available.

The Sixers traded their 2025 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but since it is protected by the top six, it will only be passed to OKC if the pick falls outside the top six.

Although the 76ers are a hugely disappointing 3-14, Joel Embiid and Paul George have both missed significant time due to injury, and have only been on the court for a total of six minutes this season with guard Tyrese Maxey.

Most of Embiid’s missed time has been due to treatment for a knee injury that cost him about half of last season. Meanwhile, George has hyperextended his knee twice this season.

Of the 17 games the Sixers have played this season, Embiid has only been active in four, and George has played in eight.

Even Maxey missed six games with a hamstring injury, though he leads the team with 25.7 points per game to go along with 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

With Philly’s stars missing so much time, rookie guard Jared McCain has emerged as a key contributor and a top Rookie of the Year candidate, while players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Caleb Martin and Guerschon Yabusele have taken on important roles.

That could prove positive as the season progresses, if the 76ers get healthy and start racking up enough wins to get back into the playoff race.

While the Eastern Conference features some top teams like the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, only five teams in the entire conference have a winning record.

As a result, the Sixers are just four games out of the No. 10 seed, which is the last spot in the play-in tournament.

According to Bontemps, many in the NBA have talked about how badly the 76ers would have to bottom out before they consider packing it up and playing for next season, but the East’s overall weakness means they could still be in the running for quite some time to stay.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst spoke with an unnamed NBA executive who expressed his belief that Embiid’s health will “determine their movements” and whether the Sixers will make any attempts to replenish their roster this season.

As of now, the Sixers have the second-worst record in the NBA, ahead of only the 2-15 Washington Wizards.

While being the worst team does not guarantee the top pick due to the NBA draft lottery, the 76ers could be forced to give themselves the best possible chance at the No. 1 overall selection due to the high-quality talent available in the 2025 draft. .

Duke’s Cooper Flagg is likely the top pick and is widely viewed as a superstar in the making, while the Rutgers duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper could go with the next two picks and be highly touted in their own right.

Adding one of them to the core of Embiid, George and Maxey could be the best possible thing for the Sixers when it comes to making contenders next season and beyond.

However, given that the 76ers have failed to advance past the second round of the playoffs in any of their seven consecutive postseason appearances, there is a sense of urgency to win now, and that could potentially see them forcing you to play to win instead of building for victory. the future.