Sixers NBA Draft update: no picks but we got an apparent white board leak!

So it was the first time since the 76ers became a part of the NBA that they had no draft picks. But at least they made some noise on Draft night in more of an Lol-Sixers way.

We had a draft board image leak!

No, it wasn’t their “big board rank,” (they had no picks so...) and it wasn’t a list of player trade targets like the Orlando Magic once accidentally leaked.

You remember that? Back in 2017, the Orlando Magic’s former GM Rob Hennigan apparently took this picture, which leaked, and became a “final straw” in his eventual firing.

The best part of that was where it appeared to read “Saric (For AG)?”

Maybe the Sixers should have found a way to swing that deal, as former Magic forward Aaron “AG” Gordon just played a huge role in the NBA Finals. Although the Sixers did pretty darn well with that one, using Dario “The Homie” Saric in a bundle to land Jimmy Butler.

We heard the Sixers were given the green light to aggressively pursue a pick in this draft, and perhaps they did. But apparently, they couldn’t get their hands on one. So the “big” story of the night was this, from Kyle Neubeck, of PhillyVoice:

In that piece by Neubeck, we learned:

“....a small snapshot of their plans leaked via social media, hinting at what they think their roster could look like heading into next season.

On Thursday evening, PhillyVoice was sent an image that was confirmed by a team official as a shot from Philadelphia’s draft room. The photo included two white boards from the room, though there are more boards in the room partially visible in the shot that have not been made public.

The team official confirmed what is (mostly) clear to the eye to see: a list of targets for the Sixers’ stated goal to buy a second-round pick, in addition to a fairly loose depth chart for Philadelphia heading into the summer and next season.”

Weird, huh? Unless you’re from around here and have lived through dozens of broken feet, scapular dyskinesis, and sesame allergies, I suppose.

Neubeck writes that it leaked to “social media,” so I don’t think it was up on any Sixers official (read: they wanted it up there) sites. That hints to me that maybe an individual took a picture he or she wasn’t supposed to take, and posted it and somehow PhillyVoice was alerted.

But honestly, I’m totally guessing here.

You can see on the left board, there is literally a list of potential teams the Sixers might be able to acquire a second-round pick from. There are a few teams with their corresponding picks listed.

Jaker Fischer of Yahoo Sports’ got many fans excited when he reported: “One smaller trade element to monitor for Philadelphia: The Sixers are actively seeking opportunities to acquire a second-round pick in next Thursday’s draft, league sources told Yahoo Sports.”

The Sixers may have at least had preliminary talks with teams like Oklahoma, Sacramento, Minnesota and a couple others you see listed. But nothing materialized.

But the more intriguing stuff is on the right side.

Neubeck continues:

“The second board shows a chart that is roughly as follows:

PG Tyrese Maxey

SG De’Anthony Melton / Furkan Korkmaz / Jaden Springer

SF James Harden (red ink) / Danuel House Jr.

PF Tobias Harris / P.J. Tucker

C Joel Embiid / Paul Reed (red ink) / Filip Petrusev”

“A team official said someone viewing the image should not read too much into the depth chart, which features a list of Philadelphia’s potential free agents below that group (including Georges Niang, Shake Milton, and Jalen McDaniels, whose likelihood of returning to Philly we touched on earlier this week).”

So we can listen to the team official and not read too much into that depth chart. But that’s not quite as fun as ignoring that team official and reading a little too much into it, right?

Tobias Harris is definitely up there, and not in any “trade?” section.

The fact that James Harden and Paul Reed are above the line and “in red,” definitely seems like some sort of clue.

Most indications are that the Sixers would love to have both Beard and B-Ball back. And more and more reports make it sound like retaining Harden is in the cards. Houston didn’t trade their no. 4 pick for a vet. Does that make his re-signing even more likely? I’d venture a yes.

Also, Amen Thompson, who the Rockets selected after apparently falling in love with during pre-draft workouts, is 6’7’’ and plays point guard. Perhaps that’s just one more reason for the Rockets not to turn around and overpay Beard given his age and the positional overlap.

There was also this sneaky update by Woj during the broadcast:

It definitely wouldn’t hurt the Sixers’ title odds if the Rockets stole a key cog from Milwaukee instead of Philadelphia.

So if you had to guess, you might say red Sharpie means we know it’s not definite but we are loosely penciling you in for now.

And then below that line, as Neubeck writes, are a few names we’re less clear on. Reports make it sound like Shake Milton will likely be leaving for a bigger role. Maybe that would change it Harden bolted for Houston. And we’ve heard the team would like to retain Minivan and McDaniels if they can afford to, but it’s up in the air. That theory meshes with other rumors.

But, who really knows? It’s an odd one.

One interesting surprise Neubeck points out is the inclusion of Filip Petrusev. Before the draft on Thursday, we spotted this update on Twitter regarding the Serbian big man, drafted in 2021. Petrusev has been playing ball overseas ever since, but might that be changing?

Neubeck concludes by reporting:

“A team source told PhillyVoice that Petrusev was expected to compete for the Sixers in Summer League this year, and could receive a contract with a modest guarantee with a chance to compete for a roster spot in training camp, likely as their third big.”

So is this on the level of the Orlando Magic? Not at all. But on a night when your team goes through an entire draft and doesn’t make a pick, for the first time in its NBA history, an unprofessional leak like this, doesn’t exactly scream look out #HeatCulture we’re the new exemplar of professionalism!

Now, someone with some high end equipment needs to find a way to zoom in on that third whiteboard in the back and decipher that one!