For one reason or another, Daryl Morey really wants to make it seem like the Philadelphia 76ers could do anything with the third-overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Now granted, part of that is likely strategic, as after watching the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs effectively close shop and lock in on their selections, Morey now holds the finest piece that could theoretically be moved before Adam Silver puts their pick on the clock. While he might want to select a player with the pick and may even do so, his phone will remain on, with 29 other teams able to place their best offers on the table, whether that be for players, picks, or a combination of the two.
Could some team panic and offer up a package that’s too good to be true? Could a general manager offer up a young player for a simple move back, or include a selection in the future along with one this year for a chance to select the player they deem is, at worst, the third-best player in this year’s class?
That feels possible, but frankly, it’s unlikely; considering the 76ers’ cap situation, with three max players on their roster and a few more quality performers who could be paid handsomely like Quentin Grimes, they need cost-controlled contributors who can play at a high level without breaking the bank, all the while forming a new foundation for the future.
Can the 76ers still win with Joel Embiid? Yes, they most likely can, but for how long? Will he remain effective for the duration of his current contract? Or will Philadelphia be strapped with one of the largest dead money figures of any team in the NBA while still trying to compete without a notable portion of their salary cap?
For better or worse, the 76ers need to leave the 2025 NBA Draft with a player who can be a foundational piece moving forward, and they will almost certainly select a player of that caliber at pick 3. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they are guaranteed to land Ace Bailey, who is widely considered the third-best player in this year’s class – unless Paul George is asked. No, the best-case scenario for the 76ers would be for Dylan Harper to drop to them at pick No. 3, with the Spurs opting to land a natural frontcourt partner for Victor Wembanyama while Morey lands his next great combo guard of the future.
Dylan Harper could be Daryl Morey’s next James Harden
If there’s one player Morey has loved more than seemingly any other over the course of his NBA executive career, it’s James Harden.
Originally acquiring the third overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, and a collection of draft picks, Harden went from a perennial Sixth Man of the Year contender to a certified face of the franchise under Morey’s watch, earning hundreds of millions of dollars, scoring titles, All-Star selections, and an MVP for the 2017-18 season. Morey built his roster around Harden’s talents and even went out of his way to acquire the Arizona State product when he moved to Philadelphia, bringing the genuine article to the city with his massive painting resided.
Ultimately, things didn’t work out between Harden and Morey the second time around, but would he be interested in bringing in a player like Dylan Harper, who has a game that looks a lot like old Harden and modern Harden all rolled up in a 19-year-old package? Would he opt to select the Rutgers guard despite already having a pair of quality backcourt options in Tyrese Maxey and McCain, who can only really play in the backcourt?
Considering his size, handle, shot, and personality, it’s safe to say that would be Morey’s dream situation.
Standing 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, it’s hard not to fall in love with Harper’s game. Like Harden, Harper is a master of funky footwork, using Eurosteps and stepbacks to get away from defenders and set up his own shot. While he isn’t an elite 3-point shooter, hitting just 33.3 percent of his attempts on 5.2 attempts per game, he projects as a more prolific shooter in the future, with his clean shot and ability to operate off and on the ball making him all the more effective. Driving to the basket, Harper’s eyes are his best asset, with an ability to attack holes with ease while keeping an eye open for his teammates, as his four assists per game clearly proves.
Would it be weird to see Harper added to such a loaded backcourt? Maybe so, especially considering how hard a time Philadelphia has had finding a young power forward to build around for, well, forever, but Harden played major minutes with Chris Paul and Eric Gordon on the court with him- 637 minutes in 2018-19, to be exact – and Philadelphia could do the same if they landed Harper, with Maxey, McCain, and Grimes all good enough off-ball movers to make things interesting.
Dylan Harper, not Ace Bailey could be the 76ers’ new face
On paper, Bailey is the cleaner fit on the 76ers now and in the future. In 2025, he could be Philly’s Game 1 starter at small forward, with Maxey and Grimes in the frontcourt, George and Embiid also in the frontcourt, and McCain coming off the bench with Gerson Yabuseli and Kelly Oubre as the top reserves, assuming everyone is re-signed. He can play up the lineup at power forward, slide down to shooting guard in big looks, and build into the kind of wing player every team is looking for in 2025, assuming he takes better shots and learns to move the ball around instead of being such a black hole.
Harper, by contrast, makes things harder, as he’d likely have to play shooting guard, if not small forward, in lineups where he is the third-tallest player next to some combination of Maxey, McCain, and Grimes. His defensive assignments would be much harder, which isn’t exactly his strength at this point in time, and the 76ers won’t be able to hide him like the Spurs, as they simply don’t have enough two-way players to make his life easier.
With that in mind, Maxey has been at his best when playing alongside a passing point guard like Harden, who set him up for his most efficient professional season. While McCain may be able to unlock Maxey in the same way this fall, he came into the NBA as a combo guard too, and was injured so early in the season that he and the Kentucky guard only played 248 minutes of action together over a 16-game sample size. Could Harper be his long-term partner? Could the 76ers place the three guards together and see who earns the top spots, trading away the “loser” for a better-fitting performer?
No matter which Rutgers player is available at pick No. 3, the Philadelphia 76ers will likely run their selection up to bring him to the City of Brotherly Love. But it’s hard to argue that Morey would rather that player be Bailey over Harper, as, at the end of the day, the latter could become the next face of the 76ers in a way that his teammate is simply unlikely to match.
The post Philadelphia 76ers’ perfect outcome for No. 3 pick in 2025 NBA Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.
