The Philadelphia 76ers will be the team to watch on June 25 when Round 1 of the draft begins. Holding the No. 3 pick, there doesn’t appear to be a clear direction in which the team will go in when it coms to building a roster.
Led by their star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers are still contenders in the East. As long as those three are healthy and ready to go, then that’s all that matters. However, Philadelphia also needs to add some youth to the roster and the front office knows it. That’s why making a selection at No. 3 makes sense, but they could easily trade down and add a win-now player as well as more draft capital, and create more cap flexibility to bring back Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency.
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Here is a full, 2-round mock draft for the Sixers including a mock trade with the New Orleans Pelicans:
Mock trade
Dec 8, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (2) in the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Sixers get: Herb Jones, No. 7 pick
Pelicans get: Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, No. 3 pick
Jones was terrific in 2023-24 when he shot 41.8% from deep and was named to the All-Defensive First Team. He is a guy who can be a legitimate 3-and-D option for a title contender like Philadelphia and he can make a difference by doing the little things for the Sixers on the floor. He was limited to only 20 games in 2024-25 due to injury, but he is a win-now player for Philadelphia who can slide in right away.
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The main reason why the Sixers do this deal is to create the cap flexibility before free agency begins on June 30. Philadelphia would be able to still add a young piece at No. 7 while saving roughly $3 million between the salary for the player chose with No. 3 pick and the player chosen at No. 7. Now, for the mock draft portion.
Round 1, pick No. 7: Jeremiah Fears, Oklahoma
Feb 22, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Jeremiah Fears (0) looks at the fans during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
2024-25 stats:Â 17.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.6 spg, 43.4% FG, 28.4% 3FG
These NBA Playoffs have shown the value of having three ball-handlers on the floor at times. One has to believe the Sixers are watching the playoffs with the idea that they can get to that level if they can bring in another ball-handler in the lineup. Fears fits that mold as somebody who can get the job done on the offensive end by running the offense and making things go smoothly.
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Fears was able to produce good numbers in the tough SEC and improved as the season wore on. Overall, he shot 36.1% on catch-and-shoot 3s and is an elite passer out of the pick-and-roll. If the jumper continues on an upward trajectory, then he is going to stick in this league for quite some time. The Sixers could always use another player with a high IQ to make life easier for the stars and Fears fits that mold.
Round 2, pick No. 35: Drake Powell, North Carolina
Mar 14, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Drake Powell (9) with a dunk against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
2024-25 stats: 7.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg, 48.3% FG, 37.9% 3FG
A bouncy athlete who can defend multiple positions, Powell can take on the opposition’s best scorer on the perimeter and make life tough for him which should be an attractive attribute for a Sixers team that will need to slow down some elite perimeter offensive players in the Eastern Conference. He has a smooth shooting stroke and should be able to step in right away and produce at the NBA level
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Philadelphia 76ers mock draft 2.0 including trade down with Pelicans