June 16, 2026
Kevin Barrett/for PhillyVoice
Can the Sixers' new-look leadership group lead the team to greater heights than Daryl Morey did?
In one week from now, it will be time for the 2026 NBA Draft to begin. For new Sixers President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey, it will be his first chance to leave his own imprint on the team he just took over.
Courtesy of February's trade between the Sixers and Oklahoma City Thunder involving Jared McCain, the Sixers own the No. 22 overall pick in what is believed to be one of the stronger draft classes in recent history – not just in terms of top-end talent, but also when considering its depth.
Given the makeup of the cap sheet he has inherited, Gansey will not have an enormous number of opportunities to add prized young talent to a nucleus centered around Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. And so, beyond Gansey's likely desire to make a strong first impression, this draft pick is meaningful.
Let's tackle your latest Sixers mailbag questions, focused on potential trades Gansey could initiate in the weeks ahead:
From Ophie: Do you have any long-shot trades you’d like to see the front office make? Big names, young players, premium role players, etc.
Because the Sixers have such a massive portion of the salary cap tied into Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, their ability to make any kinds of "big swings" are limited. The most meaningful change Gansey could realistically make is trading George to bolster the Sixers' depth, taking his salary slot of about $54 million and splitting it up into two or three contributors. There is no guarantee that such a deal would actually make the Sixers better – everyone should recall how well George played after his suspension ended – but it would make them different. That counts for something.
As De'Aaron Fox's continued struggles sunk the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals and youngsters Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle easily outplayed the veteran Fox, it occurred to me how much a player like George could help the Spurs. With Fox's massive four-year contract extension set to kick in next year, it would be sensible for San Antonio to look to move him – even if it is probably premature to expect such a deal to come to fruition.
Given the enormity of Fox's deal – worth about $55 million annually – the Spurs would probably not be able to fetch tremendous value for him. Trading Fox for George (and perhaps a minor asset or two) would cut the lifetime of their significant financial commitment in half (George only has two years left on his contract) and give head coach Mitch Johnson the ability to build out a system around a starting backcourt of Harper and Castle.
The general construct that came to my mind: George to San Antonio, Fox to a third team, and that third team sends a few role players to the Sixers.
Would the Atlanta Hawks take on Fox's deal at the price of Jonathan Kuminga's expiring deal plus Corey Kispert and Buddy Hield? How about the Milwaukee Bucks, looking for a stabilizing force as they embark on life without Giannis Antetokounmpo? Would they trade some combination of Myles Turner, Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma? (This would admittedly not be all that appetizing of a package for the Sixers.) If the Miami Heat miss out on Antetokounmpo, would they trade Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell or Nikola Jović to pair Fox with fellow Kentucky Wildcat guard Tyler Herro?
San Antonio should be expected to stand pat as far as Fox is concerned. But perhaps his horrid showing and the continued ascent of the Spurs' younger guards could lead the Spurs to believe someone like George is a better fit.
MORE: Outlooks for all nine pending Sixers free agents
From @rjankowich.bsky.social: Given the bleak options for improving the roster this offseason, would you trade some future draft capital to try to add a second-round pick this year?
The Sixers do not have any second-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, but they could have as many as 14 across the following six drafts. That is among the strongest collections of future second-rounders in the NBA, bolstered in particular by the McCain deal and a trade made with the Washington Wizards in 2025.
Sometimes, future second-rounders turn into picks in the early 30s in a strong class like this one. But oftentimes, teams accumulate massive batches of second-round picks for the sake of being able to overwhelm a potential trade partner when the right opportunity arises.
If there is not a prospect on the board the Sixers feel strongly about as a potential difference-maker, they should not force the issue and pay 125 cents on the dollar just for the sake of having another young player on the roster. But if they see a player available in the second round that they are higher than consensus on, they absolutely should be willing to deal from their group of distant second-rounders.
There are always opportunities to trade into the early portion of the second round; every team has a price at that point. A few particularly obvious landing spots should the Sixers want to get involved in the second day of the draft:
• Depending on their decisions with a few team options, Oklahoma City could have its entire 15-man roster from this season under contract for 2026-27... plus the No. 12 overall pick, the No. 17 overall pick and the No. 37 overall pick. Most expect them to trade at least one of those first-rounders, but it would also be wholly unsurprising if they moved out of the second round.
• The Spurs should be willing to continue adding young talent, but in addition to the No. 20 overall pick, they have three picks in the front half of round two: No. 35, No. 42 and No. 44.
• Miami picks at No. 41 overall – the slot the Sixers took Adem Bona at in 2024 – and then will only have two second-round picks over the next six drafts. They could be interested in a deal that nets them extra chips moving forward.
• While the Brooklyn Nets have no need to continue stockpiling future second-rounders – they have a remarkably large assortment of them – they also pick at No. 33 overall this year, then again 10 spots later. Barring significant trade action, Brooklyn could enter the second round only having one or two roster spots available.
MORE: Gansey, Jameer Nelson, Bob Myers talk new leadership
