Top 10: The Sixers’ worst draft-day decisions, including the Moses Malone and Mikal Bridges trades

The 76ers have had their fair share of positive hits in the NBA draft. They landed franchise cornerstones in Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley and Joel Embiid, selected crafty guards in Jrue Holiday and Tyrese Maxey and picked up valuable late selections in Lou Williams and Jerami Grant.

But they have more misses than anything else, and this issue extends well beyond “The Process” days. With the NBA draft set for 8 p.m. Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., we take a look back at some of those blunders.

This one was a setback for “The Process”. In fairness, the 2013 draft was tough for most teams, but the Sixers’ additions of Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams burned out fairly quickly. Noel was drafted sixth overall by the then-New Orleans Hornets and then traded to the Sixers in a deal that included Jrue Holiday. Noel dealt with injury in Philly, and Carter-Williams, who was picked 11th by the Sixers, won Rookie of the Year but never developed an outside shot to match his handles and passing.

The Sixers had a front-row seat for Eddie Jones’ college career as he played for John Chaney at Temple. So the decision to pass him over for Sharone Wright with the sixth pick is especially atrocious in hindsight. Wright lasted three years in Philly and six in the NBA. Meanwhile, Jones, who was picked 10th, played 16 seasons, making three All-Star appearances, three All-Defensive teams and an All-NBA team. He’s known for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, but Jones was probably a better player in Charlotte and Miami in his late 20s and early 30s.

Of course, the major flub here was landing one pick short of Tim Duncan, who was selected No. 1 by the San Antonio Spurs. But then, after selecting Keith Van Horn, the Sixers immediately traded him to the then-New Jersey Nets in a trade centered on Jim Jackson and former Villanova star Tim Thomas. Van Horn went on to experience success in New Jersey before returning to Philly for the 2002-03 season. Of course, the Sixers also passed on Tracy McGrady and Chauncey Billups in that draft.

Fresh off an NCAA title, Jahlil Okafor had high draft stock and added to the Sixers’ stable of big men as the No. 3 pick in the 2015 draft. He never panned out in Philly and was gone in four seasons. Newly minted Boston Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis, who was selected No. 4 by the New York Knicks, and Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker were still on the board.

While Shawn Bradley appears to be a nice guy and had a long career, the Sixers simply selected him too high. Bradley, a 7-foot-6 center from BYU, was picked at No. 2 by the Sixers, right behind Chris Webber, in the 1993 NBA draft. They were followed by future All-Stars Anfernee Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn. Allen Houston, another star in his own right with the New York Knicks, was selected at No. 11 by the Detroit Pistons.

There are plenty of people in Philly who would like to see this selection pushed up a peg. Mikal Bridges grew up in Philly, played at Villanova and his mom worked for the Sixers. His story was way too good to pass up. Too bad the Sixers didn’t agree. They selected Bridges at No. 10 in 2018 and flipped him to the Suns for Zhaire Smith. Bridges became one of the league’s best defenders in Phoenix and now appears to have All-Star potential in Brooklyn.

North Carolina center Brad Daugherty was a can’t-miss player in the 1986 NBA draft. The only team in the NBA that didn’t know that was the Sixers organization. They traded the No. 1 pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward Roy Hinson. The decision did not age well. Daugherty made five All-Star appearances and was named to the 1991-92 All-NBA team. The only thing that could slow him was a back injury that kept him out of his final two seasons before he retired at 30.

Larry Hughes had a largely successful NBA career and was productive for the Sixers and Washington Wizards. The problem here is that Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce were selected immediately after Hughes, who went eighth.

Who knew it was possible to miss out on two generational centers in one draft? The Sixers made quite a few mistakes in 1986, as was noted above with the Daugherty trade. But on the same day, they shipped franchise anchor Moses Malone and Terry Catledge to the then-Washington Bullets in a deal that brought Jeff Ruland and forward Cliff Robinson to Philly. Of course, Malone went on to average at least 18 points and 10 rebounds for the next four seasons.

While he has revamped his career with the Orlando Magic, the Markelle Fultz selection will stand out as the low point of The Process. Still, the truth is the Sixers were never going to get Jayson Tatum away from the Boston Celtics, and Lonzo Ball’s career is in jeopardy because of injury. De’Aaron Fox was there for the taking and there were big wins deeper in the draft, with Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo landing in the late lottery.

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