The Philadelphia 76ers trade down to select Duke big man Khaman Maluach with the No. 7 overall pick in the latest mock draft projection.

The drama of the NBA Draft every year makes it one of the premier events on the basketball calendar. The buildup to the (now) two-day event is full of rumors, mock drafts and projections on where the top prospects will be playing next season.

To cap the penultimate full week before the 2025 NBA Draft begins on June 25 and wraps up on June 26 — and mark that there appears to be a frontrunner for the Sixers' selection at No. 3 overall — I decided to run with my second mock now.

This next edition remains in the 2017 draft as the Sixers made another selection at No. 36 overall in Round 2. Philadelphia selected Jonah Bolden out of UCLA who offered up a stre

There is no mystery of who will go No. 1 in the 2025 NBA Draft. Duke forward Cooper Flagg is a lock to become a member of the Dallas Mavericks later in June. There's also a consensus that the No. 2 prospect in the draft class is Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, who is separating himself from the pack.

But if Philadelphia didn’t land No. 2, sticking at No. 3 or trading down are just as feasible, and the third pick feels somewhat like the turning point of the draft. While the Sixers are reportedly impressed with Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe, they’re split on Harper’s Rutgers teammate Ace Bailey, per Pompey.

However, the Sixers could also add a player at No. 3 and bring in a young player to a roster in need of an injection of youth. A mock draft performed by HoopsHype has the Sixers selecting Rutgers star Ace Bailey with the pick:

The pick will be a valuable asset for the Sixers. It sits in the draft range where this front office has found success in past years.

According to NBA Insider Michael Scotto, the Sixers have contacted the San Antonio Spurs about a trade to move up into the No. 2 spot in the draft to select the Rutgers Scarlet Knights star point guard.

Markelle Fultz #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball against Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz in the third quarter at the Wells Fargo Cente

He’s mainly a top prospect because of his outside shooting, but Johnson is tricky, crafty and comfortable with turnarounds, fadeaways and step-throughs in the mid-post. We’ll see what his role winds up being in the NBA,