What Should The Philadelphia 76ers Do With The Third Pick In The 2025 NBA Draft?

With less than seven days left before the NBA Draft, there are plenty of different directions that the Philadelphia 76ers could go with the third overall pick. But which direction will they go?

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 As 30 teams in the NBA have been sent to their fate of a five-month holiday in Cancún, it is now the most important time of the year, for those sitting in the team’s offices and their scouting ranks as the NBA draft is around the corner.

The chance to add a young and game-changing piece to turn the future of a franchise. For the Philadelphia 76ers, a talented gem in Jared McCain was drafted in last year’s draft, McCain joining up with the newly signed Paul George on the Sixers roster.

However, despite making big moves in last summer’s off-season, the 2024/25 season did not go to plan for Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Finishing in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, winning just 24 games.  The fitness of Joel Embiid has been a major issue - the superstar in Philadelphia struggling to get onto the court or leave his mark on the Sixers' season.

 George was another issue at the Wells Fargo Center, the forward massively under-whelming since his big money move-in free agent and looking like a shadow of his former self.

The draft lottery offers those underachieving teams an opportunity, and that is exactly what happened for the Philadelphia 76ers. Jumping into the top four teams in the lottery, Nurse’s team were awarded the third pick in the draft, narrowing missing out on a potential future all-star in Cooper Flagg.

But looking forward to the 2025 NBA draft, who should the Philadelphia 76ers select?

Buy Into The Potential Of Ace Bailey

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A lengthy scorer that can score over defenders. On the other hand, a lightweight specimen who needs to work on his passing and dribbling. You’re probably thinking that I am talking about a power forward coming out of Texas called Kevin Durant, but instead, I’m discussing a prospect that could become very similar.

The stock of Bailey has been one of the most intriguing in the 2025 draft – falling throughout the playoffs, and while Bailey might yet be the finished product coming out of Rutgers, he shares similarities with some of the best scores in the league.

Averaging 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 46% FG. The challenge for Bailey is to now translate his skillset to the top level of basketball – an advanced handle for his size, potential at the rim, and a fluent jumpshot (34.6% from 3). Some of the plays that Bailey can produce are mouth-watering.

However, like every other prospect, he also has his flaws. A poor shot selector, Bailey is at times, too ambitious for his own good – taking unnecessary different looks, similar to his future NBA counterpart Jayson Tatum. Bailey also has difficulties getting to the cup, using his size and body, the 18-year-old struggled due to his lower body strength.

Nevertheless, Bailey is an incredibly exciting player that the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans should be ecstatic about drafting. But the forward is a project player, someone who is not going to be ready instantly, but someone who can turn into a mobile stretch four, that is an offensive powerhouse.

In terms of whether he is the correct pick, that crucially depends on the direction of the franchise and whether the higher-ups at the Sixers believe that the basketball club is in a position to challenge or if it is time to trust the process once again.

Draft The Perfect Glue In VJ Edgecombe

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Currently projected as the fourth overall in the draft, VJ Edgecome might not have the allure and star factor of a Cooper Flagg or Dylan Harper, and even Ace Bailey, if he can develop into an elite scorer. But Edgecome has a number of different attributes that make him a top prospect.

Edgecombe is a wing from Baylor with major upside. An elite athlete with high explosivity and acceleration, the wing might be the quickest player in the entire draft. The 19-year-old is also fantastic in transition – having the ability to lead and score for a team on the fast break.

Alongside his athleticism, Edgecombe is also a comfortable secondary playmaker, averaging 15 points and 3.2 assists per game in college. With the Sixers already having a talented young backcourt in Tyrese Maxey and McCain, Edgecombe offers a glue piece, tying together the guard spots and offering a versatile third option on the wing.

Finally, in his upside, the wing is also an excellent perimeter defender, his quickness and agility allowing Edgecome to keep up with any guard in the league on the defensive end. Edgecome’s explosive vertical also allows him to be a phenomenal rebounder, as he has the potential to be a top NBA defender and make all-defensive teams in the future.

Just like Bailey, Edgecombe also has his weaknesses’ and most of them come on the offensive side of play. A top defender, but the prospect struggles when it comes to shooting and in particular - shooting beyond the arc. Edgecombe is not yet a consistent shooter, shooting 34% from 3 and at times, being a somewhat streaky shooter.

However, the biggest downside when it comes to the Baylor wing is his pull-up shooting, with Edgecombe averaging 25% on pull-ups. This is a huge worry, playing for a team like the Sixers, as predominantly, Edgecombe will not be the player with the ball in his hands - due to having superior creators as his teammates, meaning that Edgecombe will be tasked with pull-ups and catch and shoot situations.

Offensively, if he is not able to improve his ability in those situations and from deep, he might not be the correct pick for the Philadelphia 76ers. However, if the front office believes that they want a player who is currently for the NBA and can contribute, Edgecombe is the pick over Bailey.

Delve Into The Trade Market

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As per journalists in the league, another possible outcome for the third pick in the draft is a trade, with Philadelphia looking for potential suitors.

However, for Philly, the issue is finding who to trade with and who to trade for. Kevin Durant is seemingly always going to be a name that comes up in this offseason. A generational scorer and a superstar who is coming to the end of his career and wants to have one more shot at another ring. The experiment in Phoenix, alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, clearly has not worked. However, as a player, KD remains one of the league's top players after delivering another stellar season – 62 games played, 26.6 PPG, 52.7%, and 43.0% 3PT.

Durant would move to Philly as essentially as the immediate replacement for Paul George. Another experiment that has not worked, but both teams get a fast and exciting solution, with George and the third pick in the draft joining Booker and the Suns. NBA fans know how good Durant can be, and alongside other talented scorers, Durant can create a real problem for defenses.

Embiid, Maxey, McCain, and Durant, following a disappointing season, the 76ers would expect a deep play-off, and a 2-3 year opportunity to win the Championship with this core. But when talking about the forward, you finally have to mention his injury record, and the only downside to a potential trade is the possibility of both Embiid and Durant being out for a prolonged period, maybe even the playoffs, causing Philadelphia to hugely struggle.

Elsewhere in the league, there are also other options for the Sixers – a scoring or defensive wing seems to be the preferred option. Lauri Markkanen from the Jazz could be a valuable option, while Michael Porter Jr may also be a scoring wing on the market this summer, looking for a new home. No matter the trade, despite the shiny asset of having a third pick in the draft, George will be the most important piece and the deciding factor in the trade as the Sixers look to get rid of his contract.

Overall, for the organisation of the 76ers, it is a tough decision to make. They must decide whether they are building for now, a 3-4 year window with an MVP-like player in Embiid, and attempt to win a Championship or take a risk in picking an Ace Bailey and building for the future, strengthening their young core alongside Maxey and McCain. Bringing a star like Durant could be an exciting proposition, but by building around and moulding a young, that could build towards the foundations of a banner.