Sixers to Select at No. 23 in NBA Draft After Brooklyn Defers Pick Until 2023

By Matt Gregan, Sports Talk Philly Staff Writer

The Philadelphia 76ers finally know the status of their first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The pick was included in the package sent over to the Brooklyn Nets in return for James Harden at this season's trade deadline. The Nets had until June 1 to decide whether they were taking the Sixers' 2022 first-round pick at No. 23 overall or instead taking the team's 2023 first-round pick. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to break the news the Nets were deferring the acquisition of the pick to 2023.

ESPN Sources: The Brooklyn Nets are deferring acquisition of the Philadelphia 76ers 2022 first-round pick at No. 23 to the 2023 NBA Draft. The option on pushing back pick comes out of the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade. Nets had to inform the league office of decision today.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 1, 2022

The Sixers officially now own the No. 23 pick in the first-round of this year's NBA Draft. Philadelphia's president of basketball operations Daryl Morey now has to decide how the Sixers will use the pick. They could go the route of keeping the pick and attempting to draft an impact player at No. 23 overall or he could use it as a trade chip to try to acquire a veteran player. If the team chooses to keep the pick, there are multiple solid wing players who would potentially be available that could help the Sixers such as Ohio State's E.J. Liddell or Baylor's Kendall Brown.

If Morey elects to trade the pick, it would not be until after the draft concludes due to the Stepien Rule dictating a team is not allowed to go without a first-round pick in consecutive seasons. The Nets now own the Sixers' 2023 first-round pick. The Sixers, if they were to trade the pick, would have to hold onto the pick and draft a player at No. 23 before then going on include the player in a non-disclosed trade to be made later.

The Sixers, due to the Stepien Rule, do not have much flexibility regarding trading any draft pick compensation in the coming years. Brooklyn owns their 2023 pick, meaning the Sixers are unable to trade their first-round picks in either 2024, 2026 or 2028. The Sixers sent their 2025 first-round pick (top-6 protected) to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of the Al Horford trade and their 2027 first-round pick (top-8 protected) to the Nets also as a part of the Harden trade.

Sports Talk Philly will have much more coverage in the weeks leading up the draft on who the Sixers can possibly select at No. 23 overall. The NBA Draft is on Thursday June 23.