The 2018 NBA Draft is finally here and the trade rumors are heating up. There are a lot of discussions surrounding prospects Luka Doncic and Michael Porter Jr. and where they might land.
While Doncic could go between picks 2-5, Porter Jr. could easily slide down the draft boards. If the latter of that statement is true, there could be multiple teams willing to trade up for him.
One of those teams who were interested in possibly moving up for Porter was the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, the Sixers had internal conversations about possibly trading point guard Markelle Fultz and the Nos. 10 and 26 selections in the first round to move into the top-5 to draft Porter.
However, Scotto reported that the Sixers backed away from that idea due to Porter’s back issues, which sidelined him for most of his freshman season at Missouri.
He also added another interesting tidbit on Fultz, stating that if the Sixers do not re-sign JJ Redick in free agency, then he will be the starting shooting guard.
This isn’t the first time that we heard a report about the Sixers trying to move up in the draft. On Tuesday, Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated mentioned that Philadelphia made trade calls about moving up into the top-5, using a package of picks and not including Dario Saric or Robert Covington.
It would not make sense for the Sixers to give up Fultz and both first-round picks for Porter. While he is a talented forward that can put the ball on the floor and shoot, his back is definitely a concern.
That being said, if Porter Jr. falls out of the top-5, where the Sixers don’t have to give up the farm for him, then he might be worth the risk. As we’ve seen in the NBA, you cannot have too many talented players on the court, especially a player who looked like a top-5 pick coming out of high school.
