The Philadelphia 76ers may not have won the John Wall sweepstakes, depending on what the Wizards do, but they still lucked out. They had a 6% chance at the No. 2 overall pick and stuck the landing.
What’s interesting is that now the Sixers face a conundrum of their own if the Wizards select John Wall.
The next obvious choice is Ohio State standout Evan Turner. However, the Sixers would then have a logjam at the wings. Turner’s most natural fit is as a shooting guard, which Andre Iguodala currently plays. But Iggy can move to the three very easily, and has the size to play three. But the question then is what happens to Thaddeus Young. Young has played power forward before, but his productivity plummets and he’s frustrated at that position. Not to mention that moves Elton Brand to the bench, which isn’t ideal since he tends to pout and you’re paying for a starter.
So then what’s the solution? Andre Iguodala was rumored to be on the move last year, and he would likely garner the most loot in return. The Sixers could not only finally pursue a true rebuilding effort, but might be able to address their biggest need, point guard, which they can’t in the draft assuming the Wizards take Wall. One issue will be the Sixers’ insistence on a team taking another long contract which teams simply won’t be able to do, because most have already cleared their space for this summer.
The Sixers have been reticent to commit to considerable change outside of adding Elton Brand in free agency and that was a poor move, surprisingly. But after last year’s disaster they have been given the gift of the No. 2 overall pick and a possible franchise player to add. Even if they keep Iguodala, expect the Sixers to be active in moving other pieces.