One of the lesser storylines surrounding the shocking outcome of this year's NBA draft lottery was the great luck of the Philadelphia 76ers. Philly finished with the fifth-worst record in the league after an unexpectedly disastrous season, and if their pick landed outside the top six, they would have to give it to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, the Sixers enjoyed good fortune and moved all the way up to the No. 3 pick.
This obviously keeps them out of the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes but still high enough to land a potential blue-chip talent, with names like Ace Bailey and V.J. Edgecomb widely expected to be in the running for the selection. But Philadelphia, in more of a win-now mode than most of the other teams picking in the lottery, could use the pick for something more drastic.
