The Philadelphia 76ers started the season with contender expectations.
With good reason. They had Joel Embiid, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and what looked like roster depth.
The Sixers will finish the final six weeks of the regular season with eye on the lottery, hoping they get a top-six pick in the draft.
With Friday’s announcement from the 76ers that Embiid, a five-time All-NBA selection, is out for the remainder of the season with an ailing left knee, they need to lose as many games as possible.
As part of a 2020 trade with Oklahoma City, the Sixers sent the Thunder a 2025 first-round pick. However, that pick is protected for picks 1-6 in 2025, so if the Sixers end up in the top six, they keep the pick. Right now, they have the sixth-worst record in the league. If it falls outside of the top six, the Thunder will have another lottery pick. The draft lottery is May 12.
The Sixers should tank, and it would be franchise malpractice if they didn’t do what was allowed under the rules to keep that pick. Make sure Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards, Adem Bona, Lonnie Walker IV, Ricky Council and Jared Butler are getting minutes for their development.
The way the system is set up, it benefits the Sixers to lose games. No matter your view on tanking, if the Sixers want to improve the roster, getting a top-six pick or better in a deep 2025 draft class is vital to that mission.
Regardless of Embiid’s status next season – and the Sixers are hopeful he can still be a productive player – keeping that selection and adding another young player is what the front office led by 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey should focus on.
A month ago, the Sixers were 19-27, in a virtual tie for 10th place in the East and owners of the ninth-worst record in the league. Since then, the Sixers have lost 11 of 12 games and are in 12th place in the East. According to tankathon.com, Philadelphia has the fifth-easiest remaining schedule. But without Embiid and the postseason slipping away – the 12th-place Sixers are now three games behind 10th-place Chicago for the final play-in game spot – there are no sure victories.
What are the 76ers’ draft lottery odds?
The way the NBA draft lottery works, the Sixers – based on the sixth-worst record – have a 9% chance of winning the No. 1 pick, a 37.22% chance of moving into the top four and a 45.8% of staying in the top-six entering play Saturday. It also means they have a 54.2% of falling out of the top six, which means the pick would go to Oklahoma City. However, you take your chances with those odds and hope the pick stays instead of conveys.
Toronto is 1½ games behind Philadelphia so the Sixers dropping a spot in the standings and improving their odds is possible. They are also just a game behind 11th-place Brooklyn.
Who are the projected top picks in the 2025 NBA draft?
Executives and scouts have had their eyes on this draft class for at least a couple of years. It looks like a strong class and deep among potential lottery picks. This is versatility, too, depending on team needs.
Duke’s Cooper Flagg is the projected No. 1 pick, and after that, Rutgers’ Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis, Duke’s Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, Texas’ Tre Johnson, Georgia’s Asa Newell, UConn’s Liam McNeeley and BYU’s Egor Demin are among projected top-10 picks.
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