The 76ers are hoping to acquire at least one rotation piece in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Vince Rozman, the 76ers senior director of scouting, told reporters Monday the team is looking to land someone who can complement stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons with the No. 24 overall pick.
“That’s hopefully somebody that can come in and contribute right away,” Rozman said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. “(We want) a player with more of a mature game than a ‘project.’ But I don’t know if that’s necessarily driven by age."
Philadelphia also holds four second round selections in the upcoming draft and general manager Elton Brand told reporters last month the team is aiming to pick players it can “add to the team now.”
“We’re looking for maybe older players,” Brand said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “For sure, defensive minded players and we always place a premium on shooting. But defensive-oriented players that can contribute now, we may look at, I don’t want to tip my hand too much, but that may be something we’re looking at.”
The 76ers finished the season with a 51-31 record and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they fell to the Raptors in seven games. They’re projected to select Washington forward Matisse Thybulle with the No. 24 in Sporting News’ latest 2019 mock draft.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia wings Tobias Harris and Jimmy Butler are both set to enter free agency this summer. Multiple teams are expected to be interested in them.
“There's only so many players that are super stable in the NBA, let's just be upfront with that,” Harris said about his approach to free agency, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “For me honestly, style of play is a huge thing. Culture. A chance to be able to win.”
The 2019 NBA Draft will take place Thursday, June 20.
