RealGM Basketball Wiretap

18 May 2025

• Sixers Expected To Listen To Offers For No. 3 Overall Pick

  The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to listen to trade offers for the third overall pick. With Joel Embiid and Paul George in their thirties and on max contracts, drafting a young player who may need a few years to develop wouldn't necessarily be the best strategy if they're trying to maximize their title odds with their existing core.

  If the Sixers keep the pick, it is unclear who they would target at No. 3. Ace Bailey is considered by some to be the third best player in the draft, but he is a prospect who is more theoretical with big upside. Bailey also doesn't perform well in the kinds of statistical models that Daryl Morey's front offices are typically known to value.

  VJ Edgecombe could be a more logical fit, but his lack of size alongside an already small backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain is a drawback.

  "I've also gotten a wider sense of appreciation from NBA front offices for Edgecombe than Bailey," writes Sam Vecenie at The Athletic.

  Kon Knueppel would fill a need for the Sixers and could contribute right away, but he doesn't have the type of upside teams typically seek at No. 3. Tre Johnson is a good shooter, but his defensive concerns are legitimate. Khaman Maluach would give the Sixers a backup center option behind Embiid, but No. 3 would be high for him to be selected.

• Sixers Could Lose Bobby Jackson, Coby Karl From Coaching Staff

  Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Bobby Jackson could join Doug Christie's staff with the Sacramento Kings, sources told Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

  Jackson had two previous stints on the Kings coaching staff before joining the Sixers.

  Coby Karl, who joined the Sixers staff in 2023, is not expected to return next season.

• Mavericks Win 2025 NBA Draft Lottery; Spurs, Sixers, Hornets In Top-4

  The NBA held its 2025 Draft Lottery in Chicago on Monday with the Dallas Mavericks winning the lottery with a 1.8 percent chance. The San Antonio Spurs moved up to No. 2 ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3, and Charlotte Hornets at No. 4.

  Cooper Flagg is the presumptive No. 1 pick with Dylan Harper expected to be selected at No. 2. The draft is expected to open up considerably after the first two picks of the draft with a number of candidates vying for consideration at No. 3 and beyond.

  The Mavericks were in the lottery after they traded away Luka Doncic and endured a number of injuries issues for the remainder of the season. Dallas won their initial play-in game against the Sacramento Kings, but were defeated in the second play-in by the Memphis Grizzlies to remain in the lottery.

  2025 NBA Draft Lottery Order

  1. Dallas Mavericks
  2. San Antonio Spurs
  3. Philadelphia 76ers
  4. Charlotte Hornets
  5. Utah Jazz
  6. Washington Wizards
  7. New Orleans Pelicans
  8. Brooklyn Nets
  9. Toronto Raptors
  10. Houston Rockets (from Brooklyn via Phoenix)
  11. Portland Trail Blazers
  12. Chicago Bulls
  13. Atlanta Hawks (via Sacramento)
  14. San Antonio Spurs (via Atlanta)

• Sixers Looking To Re-Sign Quentin Grimes, Guerschon Yabusele

  The Philadelphia 76ers are confident that they'll be able to re-sign Quentin Grimes this offseason, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.

  Grimes is set to be a restricted free agent.

  Grimes averaged 22.7 points and 5.0 rebounds after the All-Star break.

  The Sixers are also hoping to re-sign Guerschon Yabusele.

  The team expects Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond, and Eric Gordon to pick up their player options.

• Sixers Expect Kelly Oubre, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon To Pick Up Options

  The Philadelphia 76ers offseason will get some clarity at Monday's 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. If the Sixers pick lands in the top-six (Philadelphia is slotted in the fifth spot pre-lottery), they'll keep the pick. If the pick slides back to seven or later, the 76ers will convey that selection to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

  Later in the offseason, Philadelphia will get roster and cap sheet clarity when a trio of veterans make decisions on player options for the 2025-26 season. Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and Kelly Oubre Jr. all hold player options for the upcoming season. All three players have until June 29 to decide if they are opting in for next season.

  The Sixers expect all three veterans to opt in for next season. Oubre carries the largest contract, with his option worth $8.4 million. Drummond has a $5 million option, while Gordon has a $3.5 million option.

  The outcome of the options, combined with what happens with their first-round pick, will determine what signing exception the Sixers have access to. The Non-Taxpayer MLE is worth a projected $14.1 million, while the Taxpayer MLE is worth a projected $5.7 million this offseason.

• Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper Widely Expected To Be Top Two Picks At 2025 NBA Draft

  In their latest look at the 2025 NBA Draft, ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo broke down who each lottery team could pick, depending on where their pick falls. While things get very interesting depending on who gets the third pick, Cooper Flagg of Duke and Dylan Harper of Rutgers are the consensus first and second picks, respectively.

  The third pick is heavily dependent on which team lands there. Some teams may prefer forward Ace Bailey of Rutgers, while others are higher on guard V.J. Edgecombe of Baylor. Givony and Woo have reached a consensus that Bailey or Edgecombe, in some order, should be the third and fourth players off the board.

  From there, the draft takes a lot of turns. Jeremiah Fears, Tre Johnson, Kasparas Jakucionis, Khaman Maluach, Kon Knuppel and Derik Queen round out the top 10.

• Elton Brand Withdraws From Hawks' President Of Basketball Ops Search

  Elton Brand has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Atlanta Hawks' president of basketball operations job. Brand holds strong relationships with the franchise and was a candidate to replace Landry Fields.

  Brand will remain with the Philadelphia 76ers. Brand has worked in the front office of the Sixers since shortly after his retirement in 2016. Brand was promoted to general manager in September 2018 following the exit of Bryan Colangelo and continued to work under Daryl Morey.

  The Hawks are looking to hire someone to run their front office after promoting Onsi Saleh to general manager.

• Daryl Morey Has No Regrets About Trading Pick To Move Al Horford Contract

  Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey isn't afraid to look back at past moves he's made with a critical eye. Next week, Morey's Sixers could lose their first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft if they have some lottery luck go against them. Still Morey doesn't regret moving that top-six protected pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder to get off Al Horford's contract in 2020.

  "First off, I feel very good about that trade because it put us in a great spot," Morey said. "It was before coach [Nick Nurse] was here, but we were the one-seed going into the playoffs. Usually, that gives you a 40-50% chance to make the finals. So I feel good that we got good value out of that trade. Danny Green was great for us. Seth Curry was [acquired in] a different trade. But anyway, I feel good about that."

  If the pick doesn't convey this year, it will roll over to 2026 with a top-four protection. The same conditions will exist in 2027. If the pick remains unconveyed then, the Sixers will convey a second-round pick to the Thunder in 2027.

  Morey is also excited about having re-acquired his team's second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Philadelphia re-acquired that selection in the deal where they swapped Caleb Martin for Quentin Grimes.

  "That's going to be a tool for us," Morey said. "We have 64% odds to have a top pick in this draft. That'll be another tool. If you look at teams that make aggressive moves like us and then have a rough season, most of the time those teams have, like, no draft picks. We have above-average draft picks going forward to improve the team for next season. We have a whole set of younger players... a lot of tools in our arsenal to upgrade the team, whereas most teams that go into the season with the third-best title odds like we did and have a rough year, [they] don't have much maneuverability. We feel like we have a lot of maneuverability with our assets going forward and the young players coach developed."

• Knicks, Sixers Set To Meet In Abu Dhabi Games In 2025 Preseason

  The NBA and the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism announced that the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers will play two games in Abu Dhabi in the 2025 preseason. The teams will meet on October 2 and 4 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

  Because the Knicks and Sixers are traveling abroad, they'll be allowed to start training camp roughly a week before teams staying stateside for the preseason. This is the fourth consecutive year that NBA teams will travel to Abu Dhabi. Previously, the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves made the trip to play in the Middle East.

• Daryl Morey, Nick Nurse Likely Have 'Hottest Seats' In NBA

  The Philadelphia 76ers swiftly retained both Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse for the upcoming season, but the team will need to bounce back significantly in order for them to continue beyond the 25-26 season.

  "I was mildly surprised," said Brian Windhorst on the Stephen A. Smith Show about the Sixers continuing to back Morey and Nurse. "But heard that ownership was on board and and agreed with and endorsed signed off on the moves that they made last year."

  The Sixers signed Paul George in free agency and also signed Joel Embiid to a massive extension. Embiid suffered from a right knee injury throughout the season, which derailed their chances of competing.

  "So I think they are giving [Morey] the grace that this was a terrible year in terms of injury and misfortune. But what I would say to both Daryl and Nick is you have no margin for error now. If next year isn't an excellent year, you're gonna...

  "That's probably, I would say, the hottest seats in the NBA right now looking into next year. We got to see how the season ends [with playoff teams], but right now the hottest seats in the league are probably Daryl and Nick Nurse."