Derek Bodner: The Philadelphia 76ers don’t seem that inclined to trade the third pick in the NBA …
dj and PK proudly presented by our title sponsor Black Desert Resort the NBA draft bearing down on us it is Wednesday for round one Thursday for round two followed immediately by the NHL draft Friday round one and then uh wrapping up Saturday what will the Jazz do what will Austin Ang decide a decision that can reverberate for a decade easily could be 15 even 20 years after that edgecomb is the pick for many of you i don’t blame you and it turns out many people are with you usa Today has uh has brought together a bunch of uh different mock drafts like a half dozen of them yeah and Edgecomb is now the third pick going to Philadelphia in four of them what will the Sixers do well we’re joined right now by Derek Bodner covering the Sixers for all of Philly sports derek good morning good morning happy to be here the Jazz are drafting fifth the Sixers are drafting third do you think the Sixers are actually going to draft third or are they going to trade and if they trade do they trade back and stay in that top 68 range somewhere in there or do they demand more talent and and trade out because the future now is now in Philly what do you think they’re thinking yeah it’s a great uh question you know I do think there is still they have pushed back pretty strongly on the chances of them trading back you know I think they you know whether or not that is true or not everyone at this point wants to be like we’re happy where we’re at if you want to trade up you basically got to overpay and I think that’s a message they’re trying to get out there i do think it makes sense where they’re at to consider trading back you know because I think when you a lot of people look at this section of the draft the three through six three through eight section of the draft i don’t think there’s quite the separation there that there might be in some other years so if you can trade back either get future picks maybe a a player who can help you win now i think it you have to consider it that being said pretty much all of the you know word that’s come out so far is that they seem really interested in VJ Edgecom you know I do think VJ if you want to trade back I don’t think there’s much chance VJ gets past Charlotte at four so I think it’s if that is a guy that they’re actually zeroed in on and like I said so far the report seems to suggest that they are leaning that way then I think it limits the possibility of a tradeback scenario yeah I think you’re right about VJ Ecom there are plenty of Jazz fans who like him but he’s just not going to be on the board at five they they have to move to three or four if they want to get him and what would that cost has there been any hint of what the Sixers would demand if they move back or they keep those cards pretty close to the vest and there’s no telling right now no they they’ve kept those cards pretty close you know there are a bunch of teams here who have multiple ticks or picks in this draft uh whether that’s Brooklyn who I think has what like four uh New Orleans just got a second pick recently in the 20s um so maybe there’s a chance where they want to trade back and getting an extra pick i’m not so sure I see that you know obviously you could look at someone like Herb Jones maybe using that as a sweetener to try to get up to three but like I said I think there’s so much uncertainty with Joel Embiid that prioritizing somebody like a veteran like Herb who I think has two years left on a really good contract it’s tougher tougher to do than it would be if Joel Embiid was still someone you could rely on so I think they’re in a little bit of a you know paralyzed a little bit by the uncertainty around Embiid and I think the most likely outcome is they either take the best player available at three or they try to tra trade up to two and I think trading up the two is very unlikely i don’t think San Antonio is likely to move that pick but I think Daryl would have a lot of interest if it is realistic ace Bailey was projected as a number three pick for a long time and it is really mystifying uh people his reluctance to work out for teams it does feel like whoever’s advising him is saying “Hey you’re basically like a quarterback who’s going number one you’re going to go in this spot you can only fall why work out?” I don’t know what other logic could be applied to that i don’t really even like that logic nor do I think it’s going to work but other than that I got nothing what is your theory on why things are going the way they’re going with Ace Bailey yeah it’s it’s pretty wild where he has legitimately not conducted a single workout and from what I understand the Sixers were one of the teams that met with him at the combine in Chicago so at least had a chance to talk to him but you know to your point he’s acting like one of two things either he feels like he’s proven enough and he doesn’t have to prove any more or he specifically wants to go to a team farther down in the draft and he’s trying to uh you know engineer that and okay like if you think you know there’s been a lot of reporting that maybe he wants to be a star and a focal point right from the get- go I don’t think that’s the best role for him I think it’s a mistake but we’ve certainly seen that in the past but like you know if you’re trying to get to let’s say Brooklyn at eight you’re talking about giving up $5 million per year over a four-year contract just to get your shots you know I think if he is a good enough player player where he is going to be worth a max contract at the end of four years that will be true almost regardless of where he’s drafted i don’t think you have to audition for something four years down the line by getting the most shots right now so I think either way they’re going about it it’s kind of a mistake i actually think Philadelphia I’m not a very big Ace Bailey fan mostly for the onc court decision- making and the lack of awareness and passing and all that stuff but I actually think in Philadelphia where he could be you know focus maybe a little bit earlier on in his career on the off ball on the spot up stuff uh on cutting and trying to just be a you know limit his decision-m so he can excel and then sort of like sprinkle in the shot creation and the face up game down the line as as he’s gotten a little more used to the speed of the NBA game but it seems like he wants to go to a spot where he can get you know the most touches the most shots right from the jump and that’s his that’s his prerogative but I’m not necessarily sure it’s going to work out in the best interest for him long term you already said VJ Edgecom is probably the guy that Philly’s going after if it isn’t VJ Edgecom who is it is there a group of two or three because there’s a group of six I think consensus but then you can kind of break it down inside that group yeah it’s it’s a great question because Daryl is usually pretty uh KY at this time of year daryl my he doesn’t really tip his hand all that often and the amount of on one hand I think VJ Edgecomb is a Daryl my type of prospect on the other hand it’s been speculated about a little too much where I start wondering are we all just sort of making the right logical leap that being said I do think he is probably the the favorite and the pretty strong favorite you know but I think if I had to pick someone else personally I like Trey Johnson or at least I’m very intrigued by Trey Johnson i think the shotmaking upside is off the charts and he’s certainly got his downsides but he has one of the the real elite skills in this draft and I think that could be something to really build upon but I think in terms of if it’s not VJ I think Khan Mcipel is probably the second most likely outcome with Sixers you know I think he fits a little bit of a positional need although he’s a little short and you worry about the defense with him and McCain and Maxi but in terms of just offball movement secondary creation being able to step up I thought what he did in the ACC tournament when Cooper flag went down was really encouraging and just somebody they feel like they can rely upon pretty early in his career while also having you know that kind of upside i think Khan if it’s not VJ Khan is probably the second most likely option at three there are always busts near the top of the draft and whether it’s one of the top two picks or it’s in this next group of six are there any is there anybody in this group where you’re like the red flags are obvious i can’t believe this guy is in this group because there’s always somebody i just saw the anniversary of the legendary 84 draft and the Hall of Famers went 134 and then Stockton was in the or excuse me 1 13 and five and Stockton was in the middle of the first round so obviously drafting 246 you didn’t get your Hall of Famer there and you could have would have should have what about this draft is there somebody who’s uh would have could have should have but don’t do it they don’t really fit yeah sure and look I I I think the person I’m going to talk about here is is Ace Bailey i think he should be considered in this range because the upside is just so unique and es especially like it it’s one thing that his ability to rise up and shoot but his offball movement at 69 is really intriguing and I think it’d be a really unique skill to have but the red flags are are real high like when you look at what he did at Ruckers and the decisions that he made and the shot selection it’s one thing to take tough shots and make tough shots but he really struggled to generate good shots you know when you look at like layups in the rim he shot like 42% on layups in the rim he really struggled to get all the way to the rim in the half court he struggled to beat his guy off the dribble very negative assist to turnover and a lot of the reason that his you know I think he shot something like 34% on pull up two-point jumpers and it’s not because he doesn’t have the touch or the footwork to make them it’s because a lot of the decision-m was really bad a lot of times real early in the shot clock settling for contested long-range jumpers when there’s a real obvious kickout pass you know just one pass away that he’s just not seeing and he’s not processing he really is so focused on his own dribble drive game that he misses a lot of what’s going on with the other eight players on the floor and he’s just got a lot of you know it’s one thing to have those weaknesses but everything that’s coming out right now is him that he wants to be that on ball role right from the jump he thinks he is that third best prospect in draft he he thinks he is that on ball creation star and I just feel like he’s got a lot of ways to grow and it’s not saying he can’t cover up that ground but it is a risk that if he doesn’t is he going to actually play winning basketball or is he just going to dominate the ball and shoot you out of games uh there is some concern there derek Bodner joining us covering the Philadelphia 76ers for all Philly sports san Antonio everybody thinks they’re going to take Dylan Harper and everybody I think agrees with you just so unlikely the Spurs are going to make a move it would really be surprising if they trade away that number two pick but it does give them a little bit of redundancy here at this position and three guys who maybe they want to go small you know and everybody can handle and everybody can shoot it but it does seem like they might leverage something here and make a move somewhere even if it’s not Harper do you think they might move off of Castle or Fox yeah it’s a it’s a great question because there is a lot of overlap there and it’s not just that there’s like three guards because you know obviously I cover the Sixers Sixers have Maxi and McCain but Maxi McCain are both really elite as an offball shooter and offball movement player and I think that’s a little bit easier to fix or to fit Dylan alongside of than it is someone like Fox and someone like Castle who are both really like Fox might make shots but he’s a streaky shooter both of them add a lot of value with their downhill attack that being said like I do think that they should take Harper and just kind of like deal with it later i think Harper is a good enough prospect we’re certainly when I’m talking about someone like Castle I’m not letting Castle get in the way of adding a talent like Dylan Harper now Fox is a little bit different because he just gave up something to get him because he’s doing a new contract and because quite frankly he’s got an agent who can make things a little bit difficult if he’s not entirely happy with either his role his client’s role or his shots so I think you have to take that one into a little bit more consideration but I if I’m running them I think Harper is good enough where you take that risk you draft him you sort of make it work later that being said like if they got blown away from an offer should they listen to it probably but I think Harper is just such a good player such a good prospect and such a good fit with WBY long term uh that I would still lean towards drafting him and and like I said figuring out what you need to figure out around that duo later on we’ve talked a lot about the uh top eight picks here but there’s always a good player beyond eight is there somebody beyond eight who’s caught your eye or it’s a mystery that’s why the player is beyond eight and will be revealed to us later well if if you want to talk about mystery prospects in this draft I think Cedric Coward’s really interesting uh you know obviously big wing with incredible physical tools shot the ball well over his three years but there’s a lot of uncertainty played D3 his first two years transferred only played six games before getting injured i think the upside with him is tremendous i think for the most part he has moved into being a borderline first round pick but I think most people at this point have him top 20 and he could even go within the lottery but he is the one given how much the NBA values shooting giving how much the NBA values size and the ability to cover ground on defense i think he has a chance you know he’s a wide range on the board but I think he’s also one of the most intriguing prospects in this class because of that are you like everybody else uh Cooper Flag is going to be an all-star 10 times and Dallas is super super lucky to have got him you’re all aboard the lucky for for a team that you know gave up so much to try to compete this year on the one hand I’m real happy for Dallas fans because like they were looking at I think a really really tough next five years especially with the way that the injuries happened after that trade on the other hand it’s feels a little weird that a trade that I still view as largely indefensible you end up getting rewarded with a if not generational border generational prospect falling right into your lap um you know it is I think he’s going to be real good and he’s one of the more complete prospects that I’ve scouted uh over the last you know 15 or so years uh maybe some people don’t see quite the you know 30 point per game upside but with the way he processes the game on both sides of the floor his versatility and just the fact that he’s a borderline maniac and I mean that in all the good ways as a competitor I think he’s going to be incredible for a very long time and we’ll let you go with this one thunder win at home in game seven or Hallebertton and the Pacers are getting the title how’s it going to shake out you know I I I’d been bit by the Pacers so many times cuz every time it’s like you know it’s a great story but this OKC team’s a juggernaut and then oh they really pushed them and they you know played incredible at the beginning of the series now they’re so much uncertain with Hallebert and who knows what it’s going to be that I feel like my instinct is I still feel like OKC is the better team but this Pacers team has been so resilient that I cannot bet against them so I will go Pacers and SE well there it is all right well thank you very much Derek we appreciate the time and the insight yep thank you very much derek Bodner covering the Philadelphia 76ers for all Philly sports there is his take on the draft and he says Philly probably keeps the pick and Philly probably uses it on Edgecomb the door is always open nothing is done until it’s done but there you go i guess it comes down to how much you love Edgecom or whoever you’re gonna take at three if you think it’s a foundational piece man that’s hard to pass up and I think that’s what San Antonio had a plan and they traded for Fox for a reason and it’s not like there was some big uproar when that trade went down everybody’s like “Okay that makes sense i get why Sacramento’s doing what they’re doing i get why the Spurs are doing what they’re doing it makes sense.” Nobody knew that San Antonio was going to end up with the second pick in the draft and have a chance to get Harper just totally crosses you up but when you get a young player like that and he can set you up for 10 or 15 years you better go take it you just don’t end up in this spot it’s to a lesser degree but I think it’s what the Utah Mammoth are seeing with the fourth pick well you got somebody who can help you for a decade and you’re not going to be drafting in this neighborhood again anytime soon you better go get a really good player well at least you’re hope you’re not drafting in this exactly right you never know right but you’re But as you sit here today you do not expect it and sports is crazy and to your point maybe you will but you sure don’t expect it you better go get them now but man there’s a temptation with Embiid and Philly and how close they’ve been and if they came knocking and I don’t know if they like Ston or they like John Collins or or they like uh Markin yeah insert name here if you if they were willing to let the Jazz move up from five to three I think they’d have the Jazz attention but if they were willing to just move the third pick oh they’d have the Jazz full attention that is some serious leverage they’re sitting on there’s been strong reporting that they want off of Paul George’s contract they’ve realized it’s an albatross and they want to do something with it well guess what if you’re willing to take on that money the term it is and yeah pick up the third pick along the way to add to your fifth pick yeah the jazz yes can we please consummate this trade right now you know it’s uh and I’m sure all the discussions have been had everybody does their homework right but then when you hang up and they say no well no probably means no 999 times out of a thousand but that one time is Scott Leaden not showing up for dinner with a member of the jazz organization because the horn trade was going down and him telling his wife no we’re not going to do anything and then the hornosc trade breaks you could tell me I’m not going to leak it to the media i married you and I had to find out from the media he’s like I didn’t know they said no absolutely not but then they called back 20 30 minutes before the trade deadline all huffing and puffing out of breath hey you want to do this they had something else cooking it didn’t go through suddenly this is the best offer and they call you so we won’t really know and the thing is the way they do it in the draft now we don’t really know when they go to the podium i expect they’ll announce the pick and then the pick will be you know the trade will be announced an hour later i mean we’ve had cases where the guy’s still doing interviews wearing the hat and the trade gets announced well the dumbest thing in the NBA is you still forced these guys to be drafted by the teams well that’s Ted Steppian’s fault at Cleveland because he ran the Cavaliers into the ground and traded away every first round pick so they made the move you can only trade the pick every other year and if you do have a pick your own pick this year and next use your pick and then trade the player my point is so you could trade the pick next year if you want it’s just hilarious to me that they like the Minnesota Timberwolves are selecting so and so but you know that’s a Utah Jazz player for example and history shows them in a Timberwolve cap forever from draft night why can we not just say “Oh hey like the NFL does we have a trade.” I don’t know i just because some owner didn’t bankrupt the franchise in the 80s that’s why okay i mean it’s the 2020s it’s 40 years ago we can move fast and but you can’t tell me that the team still wouldn’t bankrupt itself look at the way some teams are trading away future first round picks right now well yeah well um who was it i mean the Lakers have an owner with $10 billion to put in this team and he’s got billions more well we know a certain other team in LA at one point said “Bleep them picks.” You remember that whole deal with the Los Angeles Rams they didn’t own their first round pick for about five or six years because they just didn’t care i think right now Laker fans I mean there’s a certain amount of uh see if we can get Larry the Laker on well yeah I I actually Did you may or may not have sent a text to Larry the Laker and the reaction was hilarious oh really what was the reaction not safe not safe for the radio yeah not safe for the radio but let’s just suffice it to say big bus fan obviously the bus family oh obviously but he’s excited to have Walt Walter and his That’s a little surprising because he’s been way down on the Dodgers he’s sick of the division titles he wants the World Series and now he’s gotten two of them but he dismisses one of them and I get why it was a 60 game season and neutral fields in the playoffs it was weird and there’s no way around it was weird but as much as I don’t like the Dodgers I don’t want to gripe about it like your team played and you’d have celebrated if you’d won but then when you don’t you gripe i always thought that was pretty weak out of Phil Jackson when when he dumped on the Spurs title and the Spurs proved it was weak they went and won for four more all right DJPK it’s 975 the zone scotty G joins us next we’ll talk NBA Finals and probably a little college football with Scotty G coming up dj and PK it’s 975 the zone
All Philly Sports Philadelphia 76ers analyst and writer Derek Bodner joined DJ to talk about the 76ers’ options in the NBA Draft and what he expects.
