Overlooking his first NBA Draft as an NBA general manager this past summer, Sixers GM Elton Brand wasn’t too keen on allowing the board to dictate what his team would come away with. Instead, the Sixers lead man pulled off a trade with the division rival Boston Celtics to move up four spots from 24 to 20 to select G/F Matisse Thybulle out of Washington.
The swap cost the Sixers quite a bit, as they had to depart with the 33rd overall pick in the process, but landed them what they believe was one of the premier defensive talents in the class and a core piece of their team nucleus.