As the Philadelphia 76ers continue to undergo the most blatant rebuilding project in NBA history, all eyes will be fixated on general manager Sam Hinkie's plan at the 2015 NBA draft.
Continue for updates on Hinkie's plan heading into Thursday.
Celtics Interested in Trading Up for Okafor
Thursday, June 25
Brian Windhorst of ESPN (via Michael Giardi of CSNNE.com) reported if Jahlil Okafor falls to the Sixers at No. 3, the Boston Celtics plan to make a "godfather offer" to get the talented power forward.
On June 22, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported the Sixers have discussed a trade that would send the No. 35 and No. 37 picks to the Portland Trail Blazers for No. 23. Philly has five second-round picks, so it would make sense that Hinkie would use a pair to move back into the first round.
The Sixers have roster holes just about everywhere, so there are no real implications we could draw from these talks. The most logical through line would see Philadelphia passing on D'Angelo Russell for Kristaps Porzingis and then hoping to land a point guard later in the first round.
Duke's Tyus Jones, Louisville's Terry Rozier and Utah's Delon Wright could each be on the board at No. 23. Jones and Wright in particular stand out as juicy options given their sound analytic projections. Analysis by Neil Paine and Zach Bradshaw of FiveThirtyEight actually ranked Jones the 13th-best player in the 2015 class. Wright is a highly efficient stat-filler, who at 6'6" would continue Hinkie's propensity for drafting length.
From the Portland perspective, it'll be getting two chances at landing a cheap contributor on a non-guaranteed contract. Teams have increasingly viewed early second-round selections as high-value propositions, citing the relatively small difference in talent between late first-rounders and the financial flexibility they provide. (NBA first-round picks receive guaranteed contracts.)
Even if the Blazers and Sixers can't come together on a deal, expect them both to be active Thursday night.
Portland has a ton of unanswered questions with a number of its high-profile veterans (LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez, Arron Afflalo, Wesley Matthews) due to become free agents. Philadelphia cannot possibly afford to add six rookies to its roster, so Hinkie at the very least will look to parlay a couple of those picks into cash or future picks.
On paper, this doesn't sound like a swap that's all that exciting. But it offers a glimpse into the strategies both teams may employ over the next couple of days.
