NBA Draft 2014: Philadelphia 76ers attempting to take No. 1 pick away from Milwaukee Bucks
By Josh Hill
With the trade deadline behind us and the buyout deadline just a few days away, the focus is beginning to shift to the NBA draft when it comes to teams clearly no longer in the running. The Philadelphia 76ers had a little winning luck earlier in the year, but are back to their tanking ways and they want to go down hard.
According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders — as well as common sense — the 76ers are now more determined than ever to land the worst record in basketball and get the best odds at drawing the No. 1 pick.
"For the 76ers, they’re trying to ensure that they get the highest 2014 lottery pick possible. That’s why they dealt Turner, Hawes and Allen. Only five games separate Philadelphia from Milwaukee, who has the league’s worst record. This will help the Sixers tank for the remainder of the year, assuming Granger gets bought out."
Unlike football, it’s not a guarantee that the worst record will land you the No. 1 pick, and Philadelphia could end up anywhere in the top three. Still, they want the highest lottery pick possible and if they can’t land No. 1, they’re at least going to guarantee they’ll be as close as possible.