What should the Sixers do with the No. 3 Pick? Trade options, Ace Bailey, and why the NBA Draft Lottery is an absolute joke

Is Ace Bailey the guy for the Philadelphia 76ers? Is the NBA Draft Lottery rigged? Are the Sixers going to screw up the No. 3 overall pick?

These are the questions that are floating around social media today and unfortunately, I’m not sure anyone has any clue what’s going to happen next.

For the first time in what feels like decades, the Sixers are heading into the NBA Draft with serious leverage. Thanks to the magic of flattened lottery odds and ping-pong ball luck, they hold the No. 3 overall pick in next month’s draft.

It’s a game-changing asset for a team still stuck between a championship chase and the looming possibility of another rebuild if Joel Embiid’s knees betray them again.

The question is now what should Daryl Morey and company do with the No. 3 overall pick. They could keep it, move up, or even trade back and stack assets for a future draft where they feel more comfortable. So yes, there are options galore and unfortunately, none of them are simple.

Would the guard-heavy San Antonio Spurs trade out of No. 2 overall?

There’s a theory floating around that the Sixers could look to jump one spot to No. 2 to grab Rutgers star Dylan Harper.

In theory, it’s plausible.

The Spurs, who landed the pick, already have a fortified backcourt in De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. If Dylan Harper is the consensus No. 2 guy on Philly’s board, you make the call.

Are the Sixers actually in position to throw assets around just to move up one spot when they already have Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and (likely) Quentin Grimes in their future backcourt plans?

That feels like overkill.

Daryl Morey’s history suggests he won’t make that kind of move unless he’s absolutely convinced Harper is the second coming of James Harden — and even then, it’s hard to see the Spurs biting unless they get something spicy in return.

Don’t expect a move-up unless something seismic happens.

Is trading down the most boring, yet plausible option for the Sixers?

Here’s where things start to get interesting and honestly, rather boring.

There are plenty of desperate teams sitting behind the Sixers who might see Ace Bailey or V.J. Edgecombe as must-have prospects.

Utah, for example, got smoked by the lottery gods and fell to No. 5. The Jazz own a stockpile of future first-rounders. If they believe Bailey is a superstar in the making, they could cough up a premium pick to move up two spots.

Brooklyn is another team worth watching. The Sixers’ epic tank job helped shove the Nets down to No. 8. Brooklyn has a war chest of picks, including one of Philly’s own top-8 protected picks in 2028.

I hate to even bring up the idea but a deal that brings No. 8 and that 2028 pick back to Philadelphia could make sense so I wouldn’t be surprised if Daryl Morey makes a phone call.

And then there’s the veteran route.

If Morey wants to stay competitive while adding a young(ish) player, the name that keeps surfacing is Jabari Smith Jr. from Houston. The Rockets have quietly been shopping him, and the Sixers’ need for a floor-spacing, assuming they want to continue to build around Joel Embiid.

Morey could package the No. 3 overall pick, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Andre Drummond (assuming both pick up their options) for Smith and No. 10 could be on the table. Maybe the Sixers throw in No. 35 to sweeten it. Maybe they don’t. Either way, that’s a trade both teams would have to think long and hard about.

Again, that’s super boring and I don’t want it to happen but it’s definitely being floated around as an option heading into draft night.

Regardless, holding the No. 3 pick puts Morey in the driver’s seat. There’s a ton of flexibility now and that should leave no doubt the phone will be ringing from desperate GMs looking to move up in the draft.

The Ace Bailey Fit: Perfect on Paper, But What About Reality?

Of course, if the Sixers stand pat at No. 3, the odds-on favorite right now is Ace Bailey. A few months ago, Paul George was on his dumb podcast saying that Ace Bailey would be his No. 1 overall pick option OVER Cooper Flagg. Now, he’s basically the Sixers’ pick to lose on draft night. What a world.

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Ace Bailey checks every box this team has been dying to fill for years. He has size, athleticism, and tremendous three-level scorer upside. On paper, that appears to be a dream fit next to Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, Joel Embiid, and Paul George.

The problem is that only appears to be the case on paper.

So what if Ace Bailey is officially only 6’7.5? He has a 7’0.5 wingspan & an 8’11 standing reach which gives him elite length for a wing. He’s very athletic, is a tantalizing 3-level scorer & has great defensive upside.

He should be atop the Sixers draft board with the 3rd pick. pic.twitter.com/w3qErS710B

— PBA insider 🏀 (@PBAinsider) May 13, 2025

Ace Bailey is a classic high-variance prospect. His shot-making is undeniable, and at his size, he hits shots few others can. I really don’t know if he’s the guy though. His decision-making is beyond questionable and he has horrible handles.

His ability to create his own shot is pretty terrible as well. On top of that, he was inconsistent on the defensive side of the court while still managing to show flashes of being an incredible basketball player.

I have no idea. I really don’t.

What I do know, is that nothing ever goes in the right direction for the Philadelphia 76ers and drafting an upside basketball player like Ace Bailey seems like a risk that I am unwilling to take at this point. For a team trying to win now (but also hedge its future), Bailey is both tempting and terrifying. He could be the next Paul George. Or he could be Cam Reddish 2.0.

I really don’t see any type of middle ground.

The Sixers’ decision on Ace Bailey will ultimately come down to their internal evaluations. The key question is if the Sixers believe that Ace Bailey’s elite traits are enough to outweigh his glaring red flags.

From there, it’s all about the player development program and if they believe they can turn him into the player that he could be in an amount of time to actually help this team the way it’s currently constructed.

Those are the questions Morey and his staff will have to answer.

The NBA’s Lottery Problem (Yes, It’s a Problem)

And finally, for those of you wearing tin foil hats and yelling about Nico Harrison and the Mavericks getting Cooper Flagg, let’s clear the air: the lottery is not rigged. The drawing is done in a locked room with team reps watching, and the video is posted online.

But while the process isn’t fixed, the system is still broken.

The NBA’s new flattened odds were supposed to fix tanking. Instead, they’ve made it worse — and more teams are now willing to embrace multi-year tanks knowing that being bad guarantees you nothing, but at least gives you more ping-pong balls.

The result? More chaos. More teams like Dallas skipping the line. More good-but-not-horrible teams being rewarded while the truly bad teams end up stuck in rebuild purgatory.

No wonder everyone thinks it’s rigged.

It’s a mess and the Sixers, despite finally catching a break, are still living in a world where the path back to contention is murkier than ever.

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