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76ers looking to swap late 1st-rounders for top 8 pick

Emilio Cobos / Euroleague Basketball / Getty

The Philadelphia 76ers want to go all in on the NBA draft.

On the same day the team reportedly advised Ben Simmons he'll be taken No. 1, general manager Bryan Colangelo told reporters he wants to trade the Nos. 24 and 26 picks for another lottery spot.

''We're evaluating what might be there in the middle teens," Colangelo said Tuesday, according to Calkins Media's Tom Moore. "We would like to move into the top eight."

The Sixers already hold the first overall pick, with LSU forward Simmons expected to be chosen. The 24th and 26th selections are also theirs from previous deals with the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively.

"We've identified six or seven players we'd like to get," Colangelo said. "We will get one of them."

The Sixers are anticipated to be active on the trade market this summer regardless what transpires ahead of or during the draft Thursday. Their glut of bigs - including Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and the yet-to-play-an-NBA-game Joel Embiid - would seem to make that a certainty.

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