The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to select Ben Simmons No. 1 overall in Thursday's NBA draft, but the team is still reportedly in the hunt for another top-three pick.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Sixers have been trying to convince the Boston Celtics to move the No. 3 pick in exchange for one of Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel, but the Celtics have declined such offers.
The Sixers, who also own the No. 24 and No. 26 picks, drafted Okafor third overall last June and traded for Noel in a draft night deal in 2013. In addition, the franchise is also waiting on 2014 No. 3 pick and fellow prized big man Joel Embiid, who was recently cleared to scrimmage after missing two full seasons due to foot issues.
Philadelphia has piled up top-end draft picks over the last three years, thanks to a tank-happy process that has seen the team go 47-199 during that time, including 10-72 this past season.
Okafor dealt with multiple off-court incidents in his rookie season, including reportedly having a gun pointed at him, getting in a street fight with hecklers in Boston, and driving 108 miles per hour on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.
As for Noel, a report surfaced in April that he was being sued for $75,000 for trashing a house he rented as a rookie and for what the owners of the property deemed a death threat.
