NBA draft: What Adem Bona can bring; Sixers sign Imhotep grad; Kentavious Caldwell-Pope an option in free agency

Philadelphia’s Justin Edwards finished Thursday's second round at the top of ESPN’s “best players available” but did not get selected in the NBA draft.

The result was probably better for him than being selected by Dallas at the end, because shortly after the draft The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported — and The Inquirer's Keith Pompey confirmed — that Edwards agreed to a two-way deal with the Sixers.

Alas, there was no drama. The Lakers, with the 55th pick in the NBA draft, selected Bronny James, LeBron’s son.

Bronny spent one season at Southern California before leaving for the NBA. Many question whether he is ready for the NBA, but LeBron has long talked about wanting to end his career by playing with his son.

Shortly after being selected with the 41st overall pick, newest Sixer Adem Bona told a CBS Sports reporter in New York that his older brother, back home in Nigeria, is a Sixers fan who is “really excited right now, probably.”

Nigeria shares a border with Joel Embiid’s birth country, Cameroon.

Joel Embiid was atop the MVP race and the Sixers were among the top three teams in the Eastern Conference — then disaster struck when the big man suffered a meniscus tear that forced him to sit out for eight weeks.

In that time without Embiid, the Sixers plummeted down the standings, setting the stage for a tough playoff run that started in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Had the Sixers been properly staffed at backup center, who knows how that situation unfolds?

There’s an understanding at this year’s NBA draft. Don’t touch Bronny James. He’s going to the Lakers to play with his superstar dad.

Or is there …

Villanova fans will be happy to no longer have to deal with Tyler Kolek, who decided not to use his final season of eligibility to stay at Marquette. But Villanova fans won’t escape him as they watch their 'Nova Knicks.

The point guard, who was Big East player of the year in 2022-23, tore the Wildcats up in two meetings this past season.

If the Sixers strike out on a superstar such as Paul George in free agency, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is believed to be on the list of next-tier targets to eat up a portion of their available cap space.

And now Caldwell-Pope is officially going to hit the open market, declining his $15.4 million player option with the Denver Nuggets to become an unrestricted free agency, per The Athletic.

Here are three guys for Sixers fans to keep an eye on in the second round of the NBA draft ...

Trentyn Flowers

Daryl Morey was surprised to see Jared McCain still available as the No. 16 pick started to roll around. So much so that he was sweating picks a little right before the Sixers' selection.

The Ringer's Bill Simmons appears to be just as big of a fan of McCain, whom he watched play at Centennial High School in Corona, Calif. The California Player of the Year before spending one a season at Duke, McCain played in big games and always came out on top, Simmons said on his podcast.

The 76ers stood pat and used the No. 16 pick to select who they felt was the best player available during Wednesday’s NBA draft at the Barclays Center.

They pondered scenarios that would have had them trading out or back in draft in exchange for a veteran player. But acquiring Jared McCain was too good to pass up.

The comp is going to sound absurd. I’m well aware of that.

I tried not to make it, tried to soft pedal it, tried to find a few other players who A) encapsulated the thing that Jared McCain’s skill set suggests he can become, and B) Illustrated the Sixers’ decision to select him at No. 16 was not only justified but a heartening sign that Daryl Morey’s head is in the right place.

The 76ers drafted Duke guard Jared McCain with the 16th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

McCain, 20, averaged 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in his one-and-done season with the Blue Devils. He showed off his long-range prowess with a 41.4% clip from the three-point line on 5.8 attempts per game last season. ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas called him “one of the best shooters in this entire draft class.” McCain can also rebound the ball better than most players his size, having corralled double-digit rebounds in six different games at Duke.

Daryl Morey said weeks ago that “all options [were] on the table” as the 76ers entered the NBA draft.

So much so that, before they made their pick at No. 16 Wednesday night, the lead executive said he was considering trading for an established player that was “pretty interesting.”

This offseason is setting up to be one of the busiest imaginable for the Sixers, who currently have just one starter under contract for next season, Joel Embiid, and only two other players under contract. In other words, Daryl Morey has some work to do.

With free agency about to start, we’ve identified more than 50 players, from the top available names to potential trade options, and assigned an estimated value to each.