The Philadelphia 76ers are the team that nobody can get a read on ahead of the 2025 NBA draft. They hold the No. 3 pick in the draft, and with that selection, they can go in a number of different directions. The Sixers can make a selection, they can trade down, or reportedly even trade up.
The Sixers have welcomed Baylor star VJ Edgecombe in for a pre-draft workout as well as Rutgers star Ace Bailey. Logic would say that those two are going to be the top options for Philadelphia at No. 3, but per Jake Fischer and Marc Stein via Stein’s substack, there appears to be other mystery options:
There are two other players in the mix for Philadelphia’s selection at No. 3, according to one person with knowledge of the Sixers’ thinking. Who they exactly are … that is a code this whole league is trying to crack.
So let’s try and crack it. The Sixers have a need to add cheap, young talent at this stage of the offseason. Here are three players that come to mind as the “mystery options” for Philadelphia at No. 3:
Kon Knueppel, Duke
He has to be in the mix, right? If the Sixers are thinking spacing and elite shooting, then Knueppel should be their guy. He has a high basketball IQ being able to navigate off screens to get himself open for looks, he competes on the defensive end, and he is an underrated passer. There are defensive limitations so he may not grade out as a starter in some cases, but he is for sure a rotation player in this league due to the shooting ability. He shot 77-for-178 (43.3%) on catch-and-shoot 3s and was an impressive 36-for-84 (42.9%) on those attempts while guarded.
Tre Johnson, Texas
Johnson has his flaws, but scoring and shooting certainly aren’t one of them. He has an ability to light up the scoreboard at any moment by taking defenders to the basket, being able to knock down tough 3s, and he can shoot off the catch or off the dribble. If the Sixers are thinking a microwave scorer, then Johnson should be their guy. One can argue that he isn’t worthy of a No. 3 pick, but he has skills that will translate to the NBA level. As mentioned, he shot 51-for-125 (40.8%) on catch-and-shoot 3s.
Khaman Maluach, Duke
Chaos! Maluach would be an option for Philadelphia should it want big man depth behind Embiid. With that being said, the Sixers do expect veteran Andre Drummond to exercise his player option for 2025-26 so he figures to return, and there is already young big man Adem Bona who made a name for himself as a rookie. However, Maluach stands at 7-foot-2, and the Sixers could always use some more size off the bench, which has been an issue in the past.