For the last decade-plus, when an unusual NBA story breaks, the Sixers have typically been somewhere to be found—and that hasn’t changed.
The NBA has laid down the law on the Los Angeles Clippers after ruling they circumvented the salary cap for Kawhi Leonard around September 2021. Most notably, the league stripped Los Angeles of five first-round picks from 2029 to 2033, which many speculated could impact Philadelphia. Yet the Sixers are in the clear.
Philadelphia acquired the rights to swap its 2029 first-round pick with Los Angeles when it traded James Harden on November 1, 2023. However, an NBA spokesperson told Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice that the Sixers will retain the ability to swap the pick and Los Angeles will instead lose the 2029 first-round pick it received from the Indiana Pacers on February 5.
Philadelphia’s updated return for Harden
When Philadelphia dealt Harden, many instantly recognized how many valuable assets it netted in return, which have only increased amid the Leonard news. Having five first-rounders being taken away would be devastating for any team, especially the Clippers. A nucleus of Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram and Keaton Wagler won’t likely drive short- or long-term success.
With Los Angeles now headed toward the Western Conference’s basement for the next half-decade, the Sixers could be in store for an excellent draft pick in 2029. There is one caveat, however. If the Clippers’ 2029 first-round pick falls between selections one to three, Philadelphia cannot grab it.
But it has yet to be revealed what will happen to the pick if it does land in that protected range. If it doesn’t, can Los Angeles acquire Philadelphia’s first-round pick in a swap?
Even if the Clippers’ 2029 first-rounder turns out to be a mid-to-late lottery selection, it would still be a win for the Sixers. By the time of the 2029 draft, LeBron James will likely have retired, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid’s deals will have run their courses, and Maxey will be turning 29 years old in a few months.
So acquiring a solid first-rounder could be critical to either adding another young player to a team that will likely be built around a rising star in V.J. Edgecombe or serving as a trade asset to connect the present to the future. We will just have to see.
Other details
It’s also worth noting that Philadelphia traded its conditional 2028 first-rounder (via Los Angeles) to the Boston Celtics in the Brown/Paul George swap on July 6. But the Clippers are only being denied their first-rounders from 2029 and later.
In total, the Sixers received Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, Marcus Morris, cash, a 2024 second-round pick (later traded to Indiana), a 2028 first-rounder (dealt to Boston), a 2029 second-round pick and the rights to swap first-rounders in 2029—an asset that has suddenly skyrocketed in value—for Harden, who is now a Cleveland Cavalier, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev.
Not bad.
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