This summer, the Philadelphia 76ers are at a turning point. They must now decide how to handle the gift that has been bestowed upon them—the No. 3 choice in the 2025 NBA Draft. Do they try to win now with Joel Embiid by trading it for a veteran? Do they rebuild around a younger core and utilize the pick on a top prospect?
The choices on either route play a role in that response. The 76ers would undoubtedly rush down the win-now route if they could exchange Giannis Antetokounmpo for the No. 3 choice. Cooper Flagg would have been going to the City of Brotherly Love if they had won the first pick in the NBA Draft Lottery.
While the scenarios for the 76ers to somehow land the No. 1 pick are now infinitesimal, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Cooper Flagg could be on the move — and there might just be a way for Philadelphia to join such a trade, get younger and arm themselves to bound back up the standings next season.
To do this, an All-Star player would need to be added, preferably a two-way wing or forward who can support Tyrese Maxey as a backup scorer in Joel Embiid’s absence while simultaneously improving the club as a whole.
Unfortunately for the 76ers, that player, Jaylen Brown, has been playing on the Atlanta coast for the previous ten years. After superstar teammate Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles against the New York Knicks, the reigning Finals MVP, who fits in well alongside Embiid and Maxey, may become available this summer.
Let’s examine a historic three-team transaction in which Philadelphia takes a daring move under the leadership of Daryl Morey and assess if it makes sense or if Philly should avoid it.