By Scott Cashin, Sports Talk Philly Staff
With reports of Kawhi Leonard signing with the Los Angeles Clippers and Paul George shocking the NBA last night by quietly requesting and receiving a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers face the likelihood of being without a first-round pick in the 2020 draft.
As part of the acquisition of Tobias Harris, the team sent their own (lottery protected) 2020 pick to the Clippers. With Philadelphia’s overhaul this offseason, the prospects of finding them in the lottery seem unlikely, so this selection is bound to the Clippers in that event unless it gets traded prior to June.
When the team dealt Markelle Fultz to the Orlando Magic at the deadline, they reacquired the Thunders top-20 protected 2020 first rounder in the process.
In the wake of the Thunder sending Paul George to the Clippers in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a slew of picks, the Thunder face a reality of not finishing the season with a top-10 record.
The Sixers won’t be left without a pick in the upcoming draft. The team currently has the more favorable of the Brooklyn Nets/New York Knicks second rounder, the Mavericks' second and their own second-round pick. It will be a while before we learn how general manager Elton Brand and company will use these assets to improve the team moving forward.
