NBA Draft Rumors: Could 76ers trade up for Andrew Wiggins?

By Andrew Melnick | Jun 9, 2014

Mar 13, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Andrew Wiggins (22) laughs while on the foul line during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the second round of the Big 12 Conference college basketball tournament at Sprint Center. Kansas won 77-70 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Although the Philadelphia 76ers suffered through a 26-game losing streak and finished with a record of 19-63, they will only pick third in the 2014 NBA Draft.

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Although they are guaranteed to get one of the draft’s four elite prospects, former Kansas Jayhawks’ center Joel Embiid, his college teammate, forward Andrew Wiggins, former Duke Blue Devils’ Jabari Parker or Australian point guard Dante Exum, the prospect the 76ers reportedly covet is Wiggins.

Many mock drafts have projected Wiggins to fall to three, but based on his upside, there is an excellent chance he will be one of the first few picks. That has led many to speculate the 76ers could use their other first round pick, the 10th-overall selection, to move up and select Wiggins.

Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders does not believe the 76ers should trade up for Wiggins.

"I don’t see him being there. If that’s the guy they really want, they’re going to have to give up the three and 10 at a minimum. Honestly, I think they’re better off taking who falls to them at three between Parker, Wiggins and Embiid and drafting another good player at 10 as well. They got the Rookie of the Year outside the top 10 last year; it’s not a bad spot to be."

Wiggins averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game for the Jayhawks last season while shooting 44.8% from the field, 34.1% from beyond the arc and 77.5% from the free throw line. Wiggins is ranked as the top prospect in the draft by Jonathan Givony of Draft Express and is projected to go number one overall.