2025 NBA mock draft: Sixers trade down to select Khaman Maluach
The Philadelphia 76ers will have a lot to figure out as they head into the 2025 NBA draft with the No. 3 pick. When considering they are still one of the top teams in the East when healthy, the focus for this group is to get their stars back and hope for good health in the future.
A big question heading into this offseason--other than the health of the stars--is whether they can re-sign Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency. The Sixers can create some space based on trading down in the draft. The salary difference between the player selected at No. 3 compared to later in the top 10 is enough to make trading down enticing for Philadelphia.
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A mock draft performed by Yahoo! Sports has the Sixers trading down to No. 7 with the New Orleans Pelicans and selecting Duke big man Khaman Maluach:
Sixers fans are already at war over Bailey and whether general manager Daryl Morey should take the skilled but raw freshman forward with the third pick. Trading down would solve a lot of issues: pick up an additional asset or two (an elite defender in Herb Jones plus one future first in this case) while just moving down for a player the Sixers might want to take with the third pick anyway. Philly would have a lot of options that make sense here whether it's a sharpshooter like Kon Knueppel, a versatile forward like Carter Bryant or Maluach, a towering rim protector with switchable mobility. Maluach is capable of erasing shots at the rim and shadowing quick guards on the perimeter. These skills would make him an intriguing fit alongside Joel Embiid early in his career in double-big lineups. Plus he could serve as a backup too. Beyond dunking lobs, he's a work in progress on offense with a lack of seasoning as a screener, shooter and creator. But he displays a shooting touch that hints at a much higher upside, not too different than Embiid when he entered the NBA. Such a raw skill-set should come as no surprise since the South Sudan native didn't start playing basketball until he was 13.
Maluach played 39 games with the Blue Devils in 2024-25 and averaged 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds along with 1.3 blocks per game. He is an elite rim protector who will be able to have those skills translate to the league right away. It is on the offensive end where he has to be able to develop some type of jumper. He is a terrific roller in the pick-and-roll, and that will be a valuable skill in terms of being able to throw down lob passes, but he will need to be a reliable mid-range jump shooter as time moves on.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 2025 NBA mock draft: Sixers trade down to select Khaman Maluach
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