The Philadelphia 76ers hold the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NBA draft and nobody really knows what they’re going to do. President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has maintained that they intend to make a selection with the pick and add one of the top young players in this draft, but the Sixers have kept all options open.
There has been a lot of chatter about possible trade-down options for Philadelphia in an effort to add more picks, depth, and another win-now piece for this group. The Sixers may have finished 24-58 in the 2024-25 season, but at the end of the day, this is a win-now group. They have a lot of money committed to Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey and the goal is to win a championship within the next four seasons.
With that being said, one has to wonder who some of those trade candidates could be for Philadelphia. Here are three teams that make a lot of sense when it comes to that No. 3 pick:
The Nets are in the beginning stages of their rebuild so they are desperate for a top pick. They were devastated when they slid to No. 8 in the lottery so one has to believe they will be a prime candidate to sneak into the top in order to select a franchise-changing player such as Rutgers’ Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper, or Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe. As Brooklyn moves forward, it can offer up the picks No. 19 and 27 (or 26) as well as somebody like Cam Johnson to try and get Morey and the Sixers to move back so the Nets can get a top pick.
The Pelicans make a lot of sense to trade up. While they still have Zion Williamson, it’s obvious that he cannot be counted on and it has set the franchise back. New Orleans needs to add a guy like Bailey, Harper, or Edgecombe to its roster in order to make a splash and the Sixers are probably the best opportunity for them to do so. An offer centered around that No. 7 pick as well as Herb Jones–a popular trade candidate–could get the job done. The Sixers could always use an elite 3-and-D player who can be a game-changer and Jones has that potential. He would be better served on a title contender than a team like the Pelicans.
Holding the No. 9 pick, it appears the Raptors are ready to make a big jump to the roster as they look to make a move for a star to add to their core. However, playing hypotheticals here, if Toronto can’t land that big fish, maybe it should consider moving up to No. 3. The Raptors are an interesting team to look at in 2025-26 with a healthy core of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram and one has to wonder if Masai Ujiri and Co. will be looking to add another quality young piece to that roster. Calling up the Sixers wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world if the Raptors don’t believe they can land a star in the summer.