June 02, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
Could the Sixers draft premium young talent for the second straight year?
When Mike Gansey assumes his new role as Sixers president of basketball operations, he will have a lot of questions to answer – not just in another critical offseason for the organization he is now tasked with running, but in the years ahead.
My evidence to support that claim: this week's call for Sixers mailbag questions netted inquiries about all sorts of things, from ways the Sixers can bolster their roster during the 2026-27 season to the value of their distant second-round picks.
With such a wide-ranging batch of questions, this week I am going to answer more than usual in a rapid-fire format.
Let's get to your questions:
From @Wethxrmon: Would you be willing to trade one of the future Clippers picks to get another pick this draft to get another young player along with Maxey, VJ, and the No. 22 pick?
With the important caveat that I have not watched a ton of this year's prospects projected to be drafted considerably higher than the Sixers' pick at No. 22 overall – so I will not highlight any specific target – I would say the Sixers should absolutely be open to this sort of deal if they view a prospect as undervalued, a strong long-term fit with Maxey and Edgecombe and possessing the chance to become a star-level player down the line.
After the grouping of prospects believed by the consensus to be the four best players in the draft – BYU wing AJ Dybantsa, Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, Duke big Cam Boozer and North Carolina forward/big Caleb Wilson – the top of this year's class is heavy with guards. Of the remaining 10 lottery picks, there could be as many as six guards that go off the board; all four of Keaton Wagler, Darius Acuff Jr., Mikel Brown Jr. and Kingston Flemings appear to be locks to go in that range.
So, the Sixers should not force the issue. Trading Los Angeles' 2028 unprotected first-round pick, for example, should only be done if it nets the Sixers a high-level prospect with a clear long-term place alongside the franchise's two strongest cornerstones.
One realistic landing spot discussed in last week's mailbag: the No. 12 overall pick, owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
MORE: Gansey enters, 2026 NBA Finals matchup set and more
From @coopatroopa.bsky.social: Until the 3-2-1 proposal was officially adopted, I hadn’t realized it would affect second-round pick order too. How do you see that changing (if at all) the value of the seconds that the Sixers have touted as real parts of the Jared McCain and the Jared Butler deals in particular?
I wrote about this revelation in 5 Sixers thoughts: Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reported last week that, in addition to its dramatic changes to the NBA Draft Lottery, the league has determined that the first 16 picks of the second round will be in reverse order of the first 16 picks of round one.
It is going to be far too difficult to reasonably estimate how valuable individual second-round picks are moving forward. The potential sweet spot, based on the new lottery odds: the two losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 games in the Play-In Tournament will have just a 35 percent chance of earning a top-12 pick in the first round. That means those teams' second-rounders would have a 65 percent chance of landing somewhere between No. 31 overall and No. 34 overall.
The Sixers have a tremendous collection of second-round picks moving forward – though they currently do not own any for the 2026 NBA Draft – and the heightened randomness involved with where those picks land should benefit them at some point.
From @AshleyHouchins: Any chance they try to acquire a second-round pick this year?
More second-round pick talk! It is possible, especially if Gansey and his front office identify a target. Trading up into the second round is easier these days because the NBA Draft has become a two-day event, with a lengthy break in between rounds for teams to hammer out trade agreements.
Most seem to believe this year's class drops off considerably late in the first round, but there is always at least a small batch of intriguing prospects available once round one comes to a close. The Sixers could easily outbid other teams if they truly feel compelled to get into the second round given how many future second-rounders they have to play with.
Another path for the Sixers into the second round of this month's draft is trading back. If they do not love their options at No. 22 overall – or see an abundance of quality picks – they could look to slide down the board. The Boston Celtics have picks at No. 27 and No. 40, the San Antonio Spurs own three second-rounders at No. 35, No. 42 and No. 44, the Denver Nuggets could offer the No. 26 pick and the No. 49 overall selection. Other teams could package early second-round picks with future ones.
MORE: 2025-26 Sixers year-in-review
From @MikeD55_: Do we know anything about Gansey's preferences that would give us a hint at who he could target in the draft?
Unfortunately, there is not much to work with on that front. Given how many draft picks the Cleveland Cavaliers have traded since Gansey became general manager in 2022 – the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster looms large here – there is no reasonable way to estimate what Gansey's preferences are.
For what it's worth, the Cavaliers have only made two first-round picks since 2022; both were wing prospects projected to be two-way role players.
From @thesixersordeal.bsky.social: Can you explain the difference between the GM and President of Basketball Operations for the people? I see a lot of people getting these mixed up, so it would be good to hear your thoughts.
The "difference" is based on the organization. Some teams still have their highest-ranking executive carry the general manager title, but in recent years plenty of organizations – the Sixers and Cavaliers are two of many – have had their lead decision-maker go by a title like President of Basketball Operations, with that person's primary lieutenant often being named GM.
If a GM in an organization is the one calling the shots, there is likely nothing about their job different from that of a President of Basketball Operations.
MORE: Trading Maxey to start over would be crazy... right?
