The Philadelphia 76ers were so close to winning the NBA Draft Lottery and the rights to select Duke superstar Cooper Flagg. The 76ers landed inside the Top Four, but ended up with the No. 3 overall pick in this year's NBA Draft. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks got the luck of the draw, and won the No. 1 pick months after trading away Luka Dončić.
While the lottery loss has to sting for the 76ers, they do have a high draft pick, potentially select one of the other top prospects, such as Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper. Or, the 76ers could use that pick as part of a package to land Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
76ers can now pivot to Giannis Antetokounmpo after narrowly losing NBA Draft Lottery
The 76ers had huge reason to be invested in the lottery, as if they landed outside of the Top Six, they would hand over the pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, they have the third overall pick, to either draft a top prospect or take a swing at Antetokounmpo.
With the Bucks heading in the wrong direction and suffering an early playoff elimination by the Indiana Pacers, questions arose about whether this was the end of Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. Sure enough, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Antetokounmpo is looking at fits outside of Milwaukee for the remainder of his playing career, which leaves the door wide open for a trade.
Bobby Marks of ESPN detailed each team's chances of landing Antetokounmpo this offseason. For the 76ers, Marks says they could get some draft flexibility depending on if Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, or Eric Gordon opt into their contracts. From there, they could get more cap space and thus allow them to make more room for Antetokounmpo's salary. Marks also mentions that the 76ers has three first-round picks that they have control of (2025, 2030, and 2032) while also holding eight future second-round picks.
Ultimately, the decision lies solely in Antetokounmpo's hands. But based on the lottery results, the 76ers have something to think about, especially if they believe they can contend for the NBA Championship next season at the earliest.