Sixers President, GM Bryan Colangelo Hints At 76ers’ Interest In Trading Lottery Pick
The 2016 NBA Draft is incredibly top heavy. The consensus about the upcoming draft on June 23 is that only two players have true star potential with Ben Simmons of LSU and Duke’s Brandon Ingram expected to go one and two next month.
On May 17, the draft order will be determined in the NBA Draft Lottery in New York. The Philadelphia 76ers stand to benefit more than most with the team having the worst record in the league this season and potentially getting the Los Angeles Lakers’ pick as a result of the Steve Nash trade.
Apparently, with the prospect of having two high lottery picks, the 76ers may be consider making a trade with the right offer. New team president and general manager Bryan Colangelo let it be known the team will take calls after the team finds out their fate in the lottery next week, via Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com:
The new president of basketball operations of the 76ers sent a strong signal Thursday that Philadelphia may look to trade a top-five pick if it ends up with two when the lottery order is determined next week, telling NBA.com, “We’ll certainly be open for business.”
At this point, it seems as though the top two picks in the upcoming draft could end up anywhere. Simmons and Ingram have received a fair amount of praise and criticism for their style of play, but it doesn’t appear that any team in the league is putting them on a pedestal or dubbing them the next great star in the NBA.
Along with the 76ers, the Lakers are rumored to be interested in trading their lottery pick if they’re able to retain it with favorable results in the lottery next Tuesday. Los Angeles is said to be ready to ship the pick, even if it’s number one overall, out of town in an attempt to land a superstar in a trade. Paul George of the Indiana Pacers is rumored to be a trade target for the Lakers.
Much like the 2016 NFL Draft, the 2016 NBA Draft could be chalk full of trades with some big-name players and perhaps the top-two prospects changing hands.
