The Process-era Sixers were infamous for collecting first-round picks. But in one of the few times they dealt one, it nearly resulted in a franchise-altering mistake.

Tyrese Maxey becoming a Sixer was heavily circumstantial: Mike Muscala hit a game-winning triple that conveyed the Oklahoma City Thunder’s conditional 2020 first-round pick to Philadelphia; Maxey fell out of the lottery range because COVID-19 cancelled the NCAA tournament and limited the NBA’s pre-draft process.

But one misstep nearly cost the Sixers their shot at Maxey entirely.

The mistake

During the 2017 draft, Philadelphia traded a top-20 protected first-rounder (via Oklahoma City) and a 2020 second-round pick to the Orlando Magic for the draft rights to Anžejs Pasečniks, whom Orlando chose 25th overall. For reference, the Sixers netted that first-rounder as well as Ersan Ilyasova from the Thunder in November 2016, dealing Jerami Grant.

With hindsight, many of you are probably wondering, “What was Philadelphia thinking?”

Pasečniks, a 7-foot-1 Latvian center, was viewed as an imposing big with potential as a pick-and-roll/pop threat, an off-the-dribble scorer, and a rim protector. Keep in mind this was also during the time when Kristaps Porziņģis emerged as a unicorn with the New York Knicks, as the NBA was pivoting toward perimeter-oriented big men.

The Sixers recognized all of this and elected to draft-and-stash him; that way he could develop with Spain club CB Gran Canaria while Philadelphia saved roster flexibility. Besides, the Sixers selected a franchise cornerstone in Markelle Fultz first overall in 2017 and that Thunder pick probably wouldn't convey because the eventual post-Russell Westbrook era wouldn't be pretty, right?

Wrong.

Colangelo resigned from Philadelphia in June 2018, after the team discovered his wife Barbara’s use of burner accounts on X that criticized players and the organization—information she got from Colangelo.

Philadelphia's redemption

Fultz’ Sixers tenure was not going much better. He sustained thoracic outlet syndrome—a right shoulder injury that supposedly devastatingly altered his jump shot. The once highly regarded Washington product played only 34 games for Philadelphia between 2017 and 2019 before Elton Brand, Colangelo’s successor, rectified multiple mistakes.

The Sixers dealt Fultz to Orlando on February 7, 2019, for a 2019 second-round pick and retained the Thunder 2020 first-rounder. A year and change later, Muscala sank a 3-pointer that propelled Oklahoma City to a 44-28 finish to the 2019-20 season. As a result, the Thunder’s 2020 first-rounder fell to 21st overall, meaning it went to Philadelphia. As fate would have it, the Sixers took Maxey. The rest is history. 

Not to mention, Philadelphia renounced its rights to Pasečniks in July 2019, due to a roster/salary-cap crunch.

Point being, Philadelphia’s future appeared bleak after being swept by the Boston Celtics in the 2020 first round. Al Horford and Tobias Harris’ contracts handicapped the Sixers’ salary-cap sheet, the locker room was not in the best place and Brett Brown was fired. Philadelphia had no clear path forward and if it were not for Maxey’s arrival, the Sixers’ contention window could have shut quickly. 

While their playstyles aren’t identical, Maxey is everything Fultz was supposed to be. The Sixers jumped through multiple hoops to draft Maxey and now he is a cornerstone on the most hyped-up team in the NBA. During an era when Philadelphia was unstable because many of its first-round choices flopped, this served as a domino effect to remember.

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