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‘Tis the season for hoards of rumors to begin filtering in and out of NBA front offices leading up to the June 22nd’s draft. In other words, it’s Chad Ford Soundbite Season.
Ford’s newest mock draft ($) outlined several shakeups, beginning with the Sixers on the clock at No. 3, but the most interest tidbit he dropped concerned Sacramento’s rumored infatuation with University of Kentucky guard De’Aaron Fox. With Jackson going third to Philly and Fox landing in Phoenix at No. 4, Ford has Jayson Tatum and Frank Ntilikina mocked to the Kings at Nos. 5 and 10, respectively. But he noted that within the organization, there’s been talk of “combining picks Nos. 5 and 10 to move up in the draft to secure Fox”.
With the consensus being that Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball will be the first two players selected, these (hypothetical) conversations would almost definitely kick off with the Sixers at No. 3. They’ve already been linked to Fox multiple times, and with Phoenix a similar wild card at No. 4, it seems likely that Sacramento would have to go through Philadelphia first and foremost if they’re truly committed to securing his services on draft night.
It remains to be seen how interested the Sixers would be in such a deal, though. If they’re as interested in competing in the short-term as their anticipated pursuit of All-Star guard Kyle Lowry would indicate, moving back to add an extra rookie to the mix at No. 10 wouldn’t necessarily fall in line with that approach. And who knows, maybe this is just blowing smoke.
Nonetheless, it’s certainly something to monitor with the NBA Draft now just 16 days away. Hang in there.