Looking for a Sixers draft-night trade? Why that might be more difficult to pull off this year.

Though the 76ers did not make a selection in last year’s NBA draft, it was still an active night and an important offseason benchmark. They acquired De’Anthony Melton — who instantly proved his value as an aggressive defender, reliable three-point shooter and part-time starter when injuries hit the backcourt — in a trade by sending their first-round pick (David Roddy) and injured veteran wing Danny Green to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Thursday’s draft inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center theoretically provides a similar opportunity for the Sixers to begin fulfilling roster needs. Those potentially include: a point guard if James Harden opts to become a free agent and leaves, an athletic 3-and-D wing if trade-deadline acquisition Jalen McDaniels does not re-sign, or a three-point shooter if Georges Niang does not return.

Yet the Sixers were able to pull off last year’s draft-night swap for Melton because they possessed an immediate first-round pick and Green’s expiring contract. Concocting a similar deal centered on a pick this year appears much more difficult.

» READ MORE: Post-Process: How the Sixers have picked in the NBA draft since selecting Markelle Fultz in 2017

The Sixers do not have a first-round selection in this draft because it was traded to the Brooklyn Nets — who opted to take the pick this year instead of last — as part of the Harden-Ben Simmons blockbuster deal in February of 2022. The Sixers also do not have a second-round selection because it was forfeited as punishment following the NBA’s tampering investigation into the free-agency signings of P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. last summer.

And because of a rule that prohibits a team from not trading their first-round pick in two consecutive drafts, the only future first-rounder the Sixers can trade right now is their 2029 selection. They dealt their 2025 pick for backup point guard George Hill in 2021, making their 2026 pick ineligible. The 2027 pick was also part of the Harden-Simmons trade, making the 2028 selection ineligible. Teams can trade picks up to seven years in advance, a rule designed to prevent front offices from endlessly unloading future selections and/or newer executives being left with no draft capital after picks were dealt away by the previous leader.

The Sixers, of course, could take the opposite approach to last year, and trade a player(s) for an immediate first-round pick and select a prospect Thursday. But that feels less likely for a team aiming to maintain its championship aspirations while reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid is in his prime, and with multiple free-agency scenarios in play beginning June 30.

That means any Sixers draft-night splash would likely revolve around established players.

The league’s transaction cycle is already underway, after news popped Sunday that the middling Washington Wizards had agreed to trade star guard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet. and multiple second-round draft picks and pick swaps. That deal becoming official could be delayed while searching for a potential third team to reroute Paul, allowing the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer to play for a contender.

That is an extremely underwhelming return for Beal, a three-time All-Star and franchise cornerstone, making it reasonable to wonder how that initial personnel domino could set the rest of this summer’s market.

Trade value is always a combination of talent and contract status, however. Beal, who has been plagued by injuries and dipping productivity in recent seasons, signed a five-year, $251 million deal last offseason, which also included the NBA’s only no-trade clause and a 15% trade kicker. By comparison, though Sixers forward Tobias Harris’ lucrative near-max contract has made him difficult to trade in recent seasons, that deal is now expiring entering this season.

» READ MORE: Murphy: Bradley Beal will not be a Sixer, and that’s very much a good thing

Questions are also swirling about the Portland Trail Blazers’ future — and what that means for superstar guard Damian Lillard. More clarity could arise depending on what Portland does with the third overall pick in the draft. They could trade it in an effort to get Lillard a co-star. If they keep the pick, however, that’s a signal they are also shifting into a true rebuild. Though Inquirer columnist David Murphy does not believe the Sixers have the assets to acquire Lillard, Tyrese Maxey would almost certainly be at the center of any hypothetical Sixers package — which would seemingly only be viable if Harden does not return.

On a much smaller scale, it is relatively easy for teams to buy second-round draft picks, if there is a more under-the-radar prospect in this class that the Sixers have been eyeing. Reserve center Paul Reed is a recent example of Sixers second-rounders who developed into a rotation role, while Melton, Tucker, Niang, McDaniels, Shake Milton, and Montrezl Harrell are all former second-round selections.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has built a reputation on roster-building wizardry. That will likely be needed for the Sixers to pull off a draft-night deal on Thursday.