NBA free agency comes into focus for Sixers after leaving the NBA draft with Labaron Philon Jr.
After selecting Philon in the first round, the Sixers opted not to acquire a second-round pick Wednesday night and now must address roster holes on the wing and in the frontcourt during free agency.
During his news conference following the NBA draft’s first round, new 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey vocalized a desire to aggressively explore acquiring a second-round pick.
“We’re always going to make calls,” Gansey told reporters from the Sixers’ facility late Tuesday, “and try to turn over every stone and see what’s out there. We have roster spots. We have playing time.
“So trying to get someone that can fit [coach Nick Nurse’s] system and the way we want to play, the character piece, we’re going to try to look at it all and try to get someone who can fit.”
» READ MORE: Inside Labaron Philon Jr.’s draft night and unexpected fall to the ‘perfect spot’ with the Sixers
Yet Wednesday night ultimately turned uneventful for the Sixers. No move enticing enough materialized for Gansey, even while possessing several future second-round picks. So the Sixers exited the draft with one selection, after Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. surprisingly slipped to them at No. 22 overall.
Gansey’s first roster-building checkmark is complete. Next up is free agency beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, likely with limited financial flexibility given Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George all remain on max contracts for multiple seasons. Embiid and George are considered difficult to trade because of their age and injury history.
The Sixers used the prudent best-player-available approach in selecting Philon, who is crafty with the ball in his hands and significantly improved as an outside shooter and facilitator in his second college season. That pick also continued to lean into their dynamic young guard rotation featuring Maxey, an All-NBA third-teamer last season, and VJ Edgecombe, who finished third on a terrific NBA Rookie of the Year ballot.
“Adding me, it’s a blur,” Philon said from Barclays Center after his selection. “You’ve got two guys that are really shifty, two guys that know how to handle the ball, and a guy that can jump out the roof. That means everything in the backcourt. I feel like Coach Nurse is going to have a fun time with that.”
Perhaps that is another deliberate step in the Sixers establishing an identity, a necessity that Bob Myers, the president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, emphasized the same day the franchise formally introduced Gansey earlier this month.
» READ MORE: Why Mike Gansey’s sound process in selecting Labaron Philon Jr. bodes well for Sixers’ future
That also means the Sixers still have positional gaps along the wing and in the frontcourt. Starting small forward Kelly Oubre Jr., sixth man Quentin Grimes, and reserve center Andre Drummond all are unrestricted free agents (so is reserve guard Kyle Lowry, but he is widely expected to retire). The availability of Embiid and George also remains unpredictable, though both former perennial All-Stars expressed optimism about their health entering the offseason last month. Rebounding and three-point shooting were team weaknesses last season.
One development during Wednesday’s second round raised some outside eyebrows when viewed through the Sixers’ prism. North Carolina’s Henri Veesaar, a stretch-big man who was widely projected as a first-rounder, tumbled to 52nd overall and was acquired by the Atlanta Hawks.
Teams have been permitted to negotiate with their own free agents since the New York Knicks’ title officially ended the NBA season. Once the market fully opens, the Sixers will have the nontaxpayer midlevel exception (about $15 million), or could split that salary figure on multiple players. They also will be able to sign players to veteran minimum deals.
Before then, it remains possible that the Sixers agree to terms with undrafted rookies — who typically sign two-way contracts — in the coming hours or days. Dominick Barlow, a starting forward for much of the Sixers’ last season, was not selected in the 2022 draft. Neither was former Sixer Julian Champagnie, who eventually morphed into a sharpshooting starter for the San Antonio Spurs.
Yet the Sixers exited the 2026 draft with a potential first-round steal in Philon, and without a second-round selection.
Up next: Free agency.
