After finishing with the worst record in the NBA once again, the Philadelphia 76ers finally came out victorious in the draft lottery, allowing them to choose between the consensus top-two prospects, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram.
Simmons was assumed to be the number one pick a few months back, but Ingram slowly crept up draft boards as the collegiate season played out, and at this point many scouts see them as options 1A and 1B.
A number of reports have stated that Simmons is the early favorite to be selected by the Sixers, but there are also rumors that Simmons would rather play in Los Angeles, where the bigger market would allow him to sign more lucrative endorsement deals.
Sixers general manager and president Bryan Colangelo doesn't put much stock into those rumblings. Colangelo, from Howard Beck on BR Radio:
“There's been a lot of that floating around. I know that some people like to poison the well. We've got good relationships with the agent, we've got good relationships with the family, because Brett (Brown) has known Ben Simmons' father for years.”
Colangelo added that he has met with both Ingram and Simmons, and for the time being, they aren't leaning in a particular direction.
More from Beck:
“The bottom line is, we're going to pick the player that we think is the best fit for our team and the best piece for us to build around, and with. I'm pretty certain that those players that you're talking about, including some others that are largely considered in the top 5, all see this as a pretty good situation to start their NBA career.
“It seems a little bit inconsistent with a team that's had three years of losing, but what an opportunity for a young, transformational type of player to come into and really be a part of something special, as you build it from the ground up.”
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