NBA Draft Lottery 2017: Who each team should take with the No. 1 pick
By John Buhler
Philadelphia 76ers (pick swap with Sacramento Kings): De’Aaron Fox, point guard, Kentucky Wildcats (11.9 percent)
The Philadelphia 76ers will be by far the most fascinating team to watch work the NBA Draft board this summer. They went 28-54 in 2016-17 to end up with the fourth-best draft lottery odds at 11.9 percent of getting the No. 1 overall pick.
In addition to their four second-round picks (36, 39, 45, 50), Philadelphia has a 53.1 percent chance of getting the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round pick, as it is only top-three protected. That also means that the 76ers have a 53.1 percent chance to have two of the top-seven picks in the draft, as they are guaranteed a top-seven pick based on the regular season finish.
Since Philadelphia is still about a year or two away from really getting somewhere in their rebuild, it would not be shocking to see them trade their No. 1 overall pick and still get their guy in the top-seven.
Kentucky Wildcats point guard De’Aaron Fox will be picked somewhere in that No. 3 to No. 8 range in the draft. He looks to be a player that would fit in very well with what Brett Brown is trying to do in the backcourt. He’d play more cohesively with small forward Ben Simmons than would ball-centric Markelle Fultz of Washington. Fox wouldn’t be the perpetual ice cream headache if the 76ers do align themselves with the Big Baller Brand.
Philadelphia could trade back to No. 4 or No. 5 to take Fox. The 76ers could see if they could get Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls for the No. 1 overall pick if the Bulls do end up with the Sacramento Kings’ first-round pick that is top-10 protected. Basically, the 76ers could get a point guard like Fox plus a boat load of other players and assets for the No. 1 pick that they don’t necessarily need this summer. Things are getting slightly sunnier in Philadelphia in 2017.