One of the biggest what-ifs for the Philadelphia 76ers over the past decade is surrounded by their decisions in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The 76ers made the choice to trade up two spots from the No. 3 pick pick to No. 1 to select guard Markelle Fultz. Although he is now with the Sacramento Kings, Fultz has played with three different teams and has only appeared in a total of 241 games.
Originally, the Boston Celtics chose their franchise cornerstone Jayson Tatum with the No. 3 pick and came out with a steal. In a 2017 Re-Draft, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report has the 76ers keeping the No. 3 pick and drafting Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo.
“He forever factors into the Defensive Player of the Year mix, he’ll have permanent placement on the All-Defensive teams until Father Time eventually comes calling and he always has a spot in the All-Star discussion, if not on the All-Star roster. And it’s hard to question his impact on winning given that he prominently factored in three different playoff runs that reached at least the conference finals,” Buckley wrote.
Fultz is averaging 10.9 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound in his career. After two seasons in Philadelphia, he was traded to the Orlando Magic. He would spend five seasons there before joining the Kings this season.
For Adebayo, not only has he become an All-Star, but he also won a gold medal for the United States in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He has earned every bit of his $163 million contract with the Heat. That’s a great resume for a 14th overall pick for Miami.
The 76ers could’ve had a dominant frontcourt of Joel Embiid and Adebayo. The thought of having both in the paint for opposing teams would be scary. It would help spread the floor even more offensively and would probably make the 76ers the best rebounding team in the league.
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