The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to make another splash in the 2018 NBA Draft with the 10th and 26th overall picks. It appears Missouri small forward Michael Porter Jr. has shown up on Philadelphia's radar.
Porter may be a bit out of reach considering he is projected to be a lottery pick. According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, the Sixers could be willing to package their picks and point guard Markelle Fultz in order to move up:
The Philadelphia 76ers had internal discussions about packaging the No. 10 and 26 picks, along with former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, to move into the top five, league sources told The Athletic. The target was Porter during these discussions. However, that thinking dampened with Porter’s back remaining a major question mark. If JJ Redick leaves in free agency, Fultz is the favorite to start at shooting guard.
The move certainly makes sense for Philadelphia for a number of reasons. They made it clear that they are ready to compete in the Eastern Conference even without Fultz for a majority of the season. That said, they could be looking to bring in another versatile talent to their dynamic roster.
Porter's lone season at Missouri was hampered by back issues that kept him out for most of the season. However, he was still able to garner respect as a potential lottery pick based purely on his talent alone. Unfortunately, there still seem to be some doubts about his back issues and rumors have even surfaced about him potentially redshirting his rookie year.
Of course, the Sixers have more experience than any other team when it comes to nursing future star players. Bringing Porter in would only add to their stable of freakishly athletic players. However, it remains to be seen whether or not they are willing to take the risk.
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