The Sixers have the 22nd pick in the 2026 Draft and could use a rookie who can come in and contribute right away. But the team has an even more pressing concern: finalizing their next head of basketball operations.
Bob Myers, the president of the Sixers’ ownership group, would ideally like that decision to be made before the team is on the clock, but he’s not setting anything in stone, Adam Aaronson writes for the Philly Voice.
“If it hasn’t happened, that’s okay, too,” Myers said. “But the goal would be to have someone in place for the draft to get acclimated with the new group… whoever we hire, not sure who that will be, will likely, possibly already be evaluating the draft from where they’re coming from … But yeah, I’d like to, and I hope to, but it’ll be as much time as required to get the best person. Because again … the goal would be to have someone that’s the right person for a long amount of time after that.“
In terms of which prospects are being tied to the Sixers, there’s an emphasis among public draft writers on getting the team either a forward to address the thin depth on the wing or a center who can help solidify the position if and when Joel Embiid misses time.
Allen Graves, a raw forward from Santa Clara with intriguing defensive playmaking, Dailyn Swain, a slashing wing from Texas, and Luigi Suigo, a 7’3″ giant out of Italy with interesting offensive upside, are all players who have been mocked to Philadelphia at 22.
Given that the Sixers have three players on max contracts, two of whom have some level of injury risk, drafting someone who can help right away is particularly important for this franchise, Gina Mizell says in a video for the Philly Inquirer about storylines for the offseason.
We have more from the Sixers:
- Jared McCain could have held a grudge about former Sixers president Daryl Morey‘s statement that he “sold high” on the young guard when trading him to the Thunder, but after his 24-point explosion in a Game 3 win over the Spurs, he chose the high road. “It’s never to prove anybody wrong. I try to keep a positive outlook. I like proving my support system right, the people who really believed in me, I like proving them right,” McCain said, per Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter video link). “… Daryl’s still the guy that drafted me, so I’ll always have love for him for that. He trusted me, believed in me enough to take me at the 16th spot, so I’m forever grateful for that, no matter what.”
- Andre Drummond had an interesting season for the Sixers, with strong play at the beginning and end of the year, as well as long stretches where he was relatively ineffective, Aaronson writes. He managed to turn himself into something of a stretch five and is still a good rebounder, though he’s not nearly as elite on the boards as he once was. The question is whether the team can upgrade his spot on the cheap, given their lack of financial flexibility? If the answer is no, he could find himself reunited with the team he has played over 100 games for over the last two seasons.
- After signing his qualifying offer following a lengthy game of chicken in restricted free agency last summer, Quentin Grimes was not able to recapture the magic he showed late in the 2024/25 season, writes Aaronson in his end-of-season review. Instead of proving himself to be a team cornerstone, he instead showed that he was more of a solid rotation player. While they could technically keep both, the Sixers will most likely want to choose one of Grimes or Kelly Oubre Jr. to keep around next season. That is a complicated decision for several reasons. Oubre was more established this season in his role and will likely be cheaper than Grimes, who is younger and a better shooter. However, the team holds Grimes’ Full Bird Rights, which gives them more flexibility to sign him after trying to fill other holes. There’s also the question of whether Grimes would want to stay. There’s a lack of upward mobility in the backcourt pecking order behind Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, and last summer’s negotiation debacle may have soured him on Philadelphia, though the departure of Morey could help smooth over any lingering resentment that remains.