After signing All-Star Paul George and entering the 2024-25 season with championship aspirations, the Philadelphia 76ers enter a crucial offseason with the No. 3 pick in Wednesday's 2025 NBA draft (8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN) and plenty of massive questions to answer following a 24-58 season.
That begins with Joel Embiid, who had arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome left knee a couple of months ago after playing 19 games last season. With the Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum injury (ruptured right Achilles) leaving the top of the Eastern Conference far more vulnerable than anticipated next season, Philadelphia believes it has a chance to contend -- but that's going to be viable only if Embiid is healthy rather than the hobbled version of himself.
Then there's George, who also struggled to stay on the court and produce in his first season as a Sixer. Can he return to the level he was expected to be at after leaving the LA Clippers as a max free agent 12 months ago?
If they can, the 76ers should be in the mix at the top of the East. Whether they can do so, however, might be the East's biggest unknown.
Philadelphia also has to decide what to do with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes and unrestricted free agent Guerschon Yabusele. As the team's two brightest spots last season, they will likely garner outside interest after the way they played.
First, though, the 76ers have a fascinating decision to make with their pick at No. 3 -- and they also have what could be a valuable early second-rounder (No. 35) to use on another potential contributor after acquiring the pick in the Caleb Martin trade in February. -- Tim Bontemps
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Sixers' options approaching the draft
After lucking out in the lottery and not only keeping their pick, but seeing it jump to No. 3, the 76ers have an opportunity to add a major talent to their roster. Along with Jonathan Givony, we're currently projecting VJ Edgecombe as the most likely option at No. 3 after a positive visit to Philadelphia positioned the Baylor shooting guard as the front-runner.
There's room for another team to make an overture to trade up to this slot, and the 76ers should be open to the idea of using the pick to create value. But after a difficult, injury-plagued season, Philadelphia could also think big picture and take the best available prospect.
Edgecombe offers excellent upside as a shot-creating guard because of his explosiveness and ability to apply downhill pressure on defenses. While he doesn't fill a direct positional need for the 76ers, he has the makings of a potential franchise building block. His strong intangibles have also helped his case here. He is broadly viewed as a safer option than Ace Bailey, who appears to be behind Edgecombe as a contender for this slot.
While they won't have great power of choice at No. 35, the Sixers should ideally be targeting a player who can provide immediate roster depth. An experienced college player such as Ryan Kalkbrenner would make sense considering the need for depth behind oft-injured Embiid. -- Jeremy Woo
Two trade offers the 76ers can build around
Offer No. 1: Sixers trade No. 3 for No. 7
76ers get:
No. 7 pick
Herb Jones
New Orleans Pelicans get:
No. 3 pick
Kelly Oubre Jr.
In this trade offer, the 76ers would drop from No. 3 to No. 7 to pick up Jones, who made first-team All-Defense in 2023-24, though he played just 20 games because of a labrum tear in 2024-25. With a career 14% usage rate, Jones won't add much offensively -- his 42% 3-point stroke in 2023-24 looks like an outlier, and opposing defenses still don't respect his jumper -- but his point-of-attack defense would be tremendously important for a team with undersized Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain in the backcourt.
The 76ers ranked 26th in defensive rating this season, the franchise's worst mark since the "Process" days. And that wasn't entirely a function of their late-season tank, as they were 23rd before the All-Star break. Adding Jones, along with more playing time from Embiid, would go a long way toward addressing that weakness.
Whether New Orleans would want to give the 76ers that boost is less clear, as the new Pelicans front office hasn't yet signaled how it wants to change a roster that disappointed so severely this season. But in theory, all options should be on the table for the Pelicans -- even trading a valuable player such as Jones, who's signed to a relatively cheap contract ($13.9 million in 2025-26 and $14.9 million in 2026-27) but will turn 27 years old in early October and might have already peaked.
Based on my draft value chart -- which is based on the outcomes for all first-round picks from 2000 through 2016 -- the gap between No. 3 and No. 7 is equivalent to a pick in the early 20s. It might be a stretch for Philadelphia to get New Orleans to accept a return like that for Jones. But if the Pelicans believe they might land a true star at No. 3 who won't fall to No. 7, this deal would make sense for both sides. -- Zach Kram
Offer No. 2: Philadelphia trades George
76ers get:
Michael Porter Jr.
Zeke Nnaji
Dario Saric
Denver Nuggets get:
Paul George
If the 76ers want to hold the No. 3 pick, it won't be easy to make meaningful upgrades. Embiid, George and Maxey are the only Sixers earning eight figures, so salary matching for a star would be all but impossible unless they can include one of the big three. But Embiid and Maxey seem all but untouchable, and George's contract looks underwater after a rough first season in Philadelphia -- so how about an old-fashioned challenge trade, with no picks involved, just players who might benefit from a fresh start in a new city?
Denver has long been rumored to hold interest in George, who is theoretically an excellent fit for its small forward position, as a two-way secondary star with a smooth 3-point stroke. And if the Nuggets' new front office decides it needs to gamble with a high-risk, high-reward move to compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West, shifting from Porter to George could be the right call. Porter's game has plateaued in Denver, and George offers a higher ceiling if he returns healthy in 2025-26.
For the 76ers, meanwhile, Porter's contract is smaller than George's and has one fewer year (accounting for George's player option in 2027-28), increasing their financial flexibility going forward. And as an excellent 3-point shooter with size, Porter would provide pristine spacing around Maxey and Embiid, while fitting more on Maxey's timeline than George, who's almost a decade older. -- Kram
Among those trade offers, this one fits best
ESPN's Bobby Marks picks the most realistic of the trades and explains why this might or might not be feasible:
The trade with Denver is the best offer here because the three-for-one trade balances the Sixers' roster while also removing the $56.6 million owed to George in 2027-28.
The trade with the Pelicans is a win-win. The 76ers entered the week of the draft with a "fictional" list of five players they would draft if they picked at No. 3: Edgecombe, Khaman Maluach, Bailey, Tre Johnson and Jeremiah Fears. By moving back four slots, Philadelphia still has the option to select a player on its list and, more importantly, add an All-NBA defender in Jones.
The trade is conditional on Oubre opting in to his $8.4 million contract for next season.