Sixers’ 2017 NBA draft, headlined by trading up for Markelle Fultz, is remembered as the worst draft of ‘The Process’

With the NBA playoffs on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, The Inquirer is reliving the 76ers’ drafts through The Process starting with the selection of Joel Embiid with the third overall pick in 2014. This is the third part of a six-part series.

The 2017 NBA draft was a wasted opportunity for the 76ers.

The Sixers moved up two spots to select Markelle Fultz first overall on June 22, 2017. The organization also acquired the 25th pick from the Orlando Magic in exchange for future assets to draft Latvian center Anzejs Pasecniks. The Sixers picked up two more foreign players in Australian Jonah Bolden and Frenchman Mathias Lessort in the second round and sold their remaining two second-round picks.

None of the four draftees remains affiliated with the Sixers.

The selection of Jahlil Okafor, instead of Kristaps Porzingis, with the third overall pick in the 2015 draft set “The Process” back more than people thought. But the 2017 draft was the worst of “The Process.”

The Sixers may never get over moving up to select Fultz first overall. The team got the pick from the Boston Celtics for its No. 3 pick of that draft and the 14th overall pick in the 2019 draft. Boston ended up taking Jayson Tatum at No. 3.

The move might go down as the worst trade in Sixers history. The Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, who picked hometown favorite Lonzo Ball second overall, had no intention of drafting Fultz. As a result, the Sixers surrendered the first-rounder for nothing. Fultz would have been available at No. 3.

Even if he was selected third, his tenure in Philadelphia would still be remembered as a major disappointment. Fultz had shooting problems and missed considerable time before he was shipped to the Orlando Magic on Feb. 7, 2019. The Sixers got Jonathon Simmons, whom they traded to the Washington Wizards for cash at season’s end; a 2019 second-round pick; and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2020 top-20 protected first-rounder.

The Thunder’s protected first-rounder is the pick the Sixers gave the Magic to acquire Pasecniks.

So all the Sixers got in return for Fultz was a protected first-round pick.

The Sixers shipped the second-rounder to the Celtics on 2019 draft night to acquire Matisse Thybulle. Meanwhile, Tatum is one of the NBA’s elite young talents and made his first All-Star appearance in February.

Philly also selected Pasecniks late in the first round of the 2017 draft, instead of Kyle Kuzma or Josh Hart. Kuzma, who was drafted 27th, is one of the Lakers’ best young talents. Hart was one of the Lakers’ key reserves before being included in the July 6 blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis. The 30th pick of the 2017 draft was having a career season with the Pelicans before the NBA suspended the season.

The Sixers stashed Pasecniks overseas for two seasons before renouncing his rights on July 1. The 7-foot-1, 220-pounder turned out to be a solid rookie reserve center for the Wizards, averaging 6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 16.9 minutes in 24 games. In addition to selecting Pasecniks over Kuzma and Hart, the Sixers let the first-rounder go without receiving any compensation.

The Sixers also didn’t get anything for Bolden. Lacking a roster spot, the 6-10 forward spent the 2017-18 season playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League and the EuroLeague. He joined the Sixers last season. But the Australian made only four NBA appearances this season, spending a lot of time with the Sixers’ NBA G-League team, the Delaware Blue Coats. Philly eventually waived him to create the roster spot needed to turn Norvel Pelle’s two-way deal into a full NBA contract. Bolden is an NBA talent, who played out of position in Philly and was a causality of the overcrowded center position.

Lessort has remained stashed overseas, where he’s an undersized post player. The Sixers traded his rights to the Los Angeles Clippers on July 4 as part of a four-team deal that enabled them to acquire Josh Richardson from the Miami Heat.

In the end, the Sixers’ 2017 draft will be remembered from selecting two guys who never played for the team, and two others, Fultz (33 games) and Bolden (48), who played a combined 81.