The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t the only team around the NBA looking to improve their roster this offseason. Among the others are the Philadelphia 76ers, a team with plenty of talent. Holding the third overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, that’s a perfect asset for the 76ers to make a blockbuster deal. However, they should want that pick, as it could help them in their short and long-term future, depending on who they draft.
Despite that, The Sporting News recently proposed an idea for the 76ers and the Lakers to make a blockbuster trade involving the third overall pick and much more. The deal would include Paul George, Eric Gordon, Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and Dorian Finney-Smith.
“For the Lakers, adding veterans like George and Gordon would align with LeBron’s win-now timeline. George, despite his struggles last year, could be a nice third option for the Lakers and experience a career resurgence, while Gordon offers reliable scoring off the bench.
“The No. 3 pick, however, would be the long-term prize, allowing the Lakers to draft a young star who could develop into Dončić’s ideal sidekick by the time LeBron retires. For the Sixers, Reaves would be a dynamic guard to pair with either Maxey or McCain in different lineups, while Knecht, Finney-Smith, and Hachimura would provide depth and flexibility as they retool their roster,” Colin Keane wrote.
Would Lakers Pull Austin Reaves Trade?
In this scenario, there isn’t much of a reason for the Los Angeles Lakers to say no to the trade. Sure, Hachimura, Reaves, and Finney-Smith were all decent players for them last season, and Reaves is very young and looks to have some star potential, but getting George and the third overall pick would be a great deal.
With the Lakers taking a different approach after trading for Luka Doncic, they might believe that they have a better long-term future than a short-term future. If they could add somebody like Ace Bailey or others, that might be helpful for them right now and over the next decade.
Are 76ers trading their high draft pick?
It isn’t out of the question that the Philadelphia 76ers could trade the third overall pick. However, while this would be perfect for the Los Angeles Lakers, there isn’t much of a reason for the 76ers to accept this trade package.
According to a report from NBA draft insider Jonathan Givony of ESPN, teams believe the 76ers could be interested in trading that pick in a deal involving George.
“Some teams expect the Sixers to be active in trade conversations, with names such as Kevin Durant (Phoenix) and Lauri Markkanen (Utah) as potential targets in packages that could include Paul George and the No. 3 pick,” he wrote. “Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has made a career of being active and aggressive on the trade front, but historically, it’s rare to see a top-three pick being traded.”
Durant and Markkanen are better players than what the Lakers would offer in this trade.
George had a rough year in Philadelphia during his first season, but he’s been a very good player throughout his career and is a future Hall of Famer.
Outside of some of the injuries he dealt with, he should be back and look much better next year.
