Former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager and possible future Sixers president of basketball operations David Griffin made an appearance on SiriusXM NBA’s Draft special and dropped a bit of a Philly-related firecracker:

Interesting nugget in our @SiriusXMNBA NBA Draft special per David Griffin.

“Philly is very much looking to move up to get somebody they think will go in the top 5.”

— Tom Byrne (@1TomByrne) June 15, 2018

With recent rumblings that Sacramento may be looking to draft Michael Porter Jr. at #2, NBA Mock Drafts are being turned upside down:

The Kings are definitely still weighing it… https://t.co/6zzdPheQQL

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) June 18, 2018

This brings me to the target I believe the Sixers should have their sights set on with a top-five pick. It once seemed inconceivable that Luka Doncic – the 2017-18 EuroLeague MVP – could’ve fallen out of the first two picks of the 2018 NBA Draft, but recent murmurs have begun to get louder with some believing he could fall to Dallas at No. 5. That brings us back to the Sixers. Could they be interested in bringing the 19-year-old Slovenian to the City of Brotherly Love? With moves like these, it would be hard to imagine passing up such an opportunity.

With that in mind, what would it cost?

Fultz/10/26 is enough to move up 3-5 spots in the first round. I'm ok with it. There seems to be mounting frustration in and outside the organization, so now would be the time to move on. Let him kill us from Dallas or Orlando.

— eytan (@shandershow) June 18, 2018

From this initially-rage-inducing tweet came a possible answer. I would not under any circumstances include Markelle Fultz in a trade to move up in this draft. It’s important to keep in mind that some variation of a package including Fultz/10/26/Covington/Dario has been the tentative framework of a deal for disgruntled San Antonio Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard.

Without Fultz, the Sixers would have to come up with another young player with high upside and good character. Could Dario Saric be an attractive piece in a potential deal? I would be hard-pressed to hold up a trade of 10/26/Saric for a top-five pick, which I realize still might not be enough. Perhaps a 2019 first round pick could sweeten the pot.

If these reports are to be believed, Dallas might have eyes for Doncic. If so, Brett Brown & Co. would need to trade up to No. 3 (Atlanta) or No. 4 (Memphis) in order to jump the Mavericks. Both teams have solid guards in Dennis Schröder and Mike Conley, respectively. Some mock drafts have big men Jaren Jackson Jr. and Mo Bamba going with the third and fourth picks. Perhaps a deal for Saric, No. 10 (Mikal Bridges?), and No. 26 could help Atlanta with their massive rebuild or Memphis with their hunt to return to the postseason.

What do you think? Would you trade 10/26/Dario for a top-five pick? Would you pursue Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, or Wendall Carter Jr.? Would you roll the dice on Trae Young becoming Steph Curry 2.0? We’re only three days from the draft!

Do you hear that sound in the distance? It’s not the concussive explosion of LeBron’s “Decision 3.0,” but if you listen closely enough, you can hear the foundation of the Spurs’ Way continuing to crack. We’ve heard all season about Kawhi Leonard’s distrust with San Antonio’s medical staff. His injury, and the subsequent back-and-forth between Leonard, his teammates, and the organization made the Markelle Fultz situation, at times, look kind of normal. Over the last few months, I’ve written about the possibility that the Sixers would look to acquire Kawhi this offseason via trade.

The prevailing wisdom on Sixers Twitter has been, “Well, how can you possibly make a trade for Kawhi (trading a combo of #10, #26, Fultz/Dario/Covington) without a GM?” It’s as if no one realizes that Monty Williams, who once led the New Orleans Pelicans to the playoffs twice in five seasons, just left a position in the Spurs’ front office. While Williams will be serving as an assistant coach on Brett Brown’s staff, the job that he did the past two years as the vice president of basketball operations was in the same front office as R.C. Buford. If team is better equipped to make a move for Kawhi Leonard, who better than the Sixers? Brett Brown served on Gregg Popovich’s staff with Leonard as a player, which gives insight to Kawhi the player, while William’s experience in a front office role provides insider information on Kawhi the man.

Now, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Spurs’ coach Greg Popovich is going to meet with Kawhi at some point this summer:

“Sooner than later, there will be a meeting set with Gregg Popovich and Leonard. It’s still in the planning stages. They have been in contact, but there will be a conversation — or, perhaps, a series of them — about whether a lasting trust and partnership can be rebuilt.”

Popovich is a year removed from having had a similar meeting with star LaMarcus Aldridge, who had requested a trade after a tumultuous season in San Antonio. Roughly two months after the death of his wife, Woj reported that Popovich’s long-term plans might not include coaching the Spurs:

“Few in his orbit expect Popovich to coach the Spurs beyond the 2020 Summer Olympics, and there always has been the possibility that he could spend the 2019-20 season traveling around the NBA and across the globe, preparing for his national team duties. Perhaps Popovich can have Leonard on Team USA in 2020, too, but that’s a conversation for a different day.”

What once seemed like an impossibility – parting ways with the 2014 NBA Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and two-time All-NBA First Team selection – now appears to be a formality, with the Sixers mentioned as a contender to acquire his services. Don’t even get me started on my favorite hypothetical:

Kawhi could be an important factor in where LeBron James plays in the future, according to @WindhorstESPN. pic.twitter.com/lo5uuddxrh

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 17, 2018

The tale of Big Collars Bryan Colangelo is a complicated one to say the least. In fairness, we won’t be able to fully evaluate his tenure as the Sixers’ president of basketball operations/general manager for at least five years. At that point, we’ll know who Boston ended up getting with Sacramento’s Top-1 protected 2019 pick (unless Hinkie bewitched the Sixers’ ball and we end up with that pick). We’ll also have a better idea of what player Markelle Fultz is. Will he ever live up to the billing of a #1 overall pick? He was, after all, the consensus #1 overall pick, right? Right? Bryan?

Not so fast, says The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor:

“[Colangelo] hasn’t made any other notable signings or non-lottery draft picks, and dealt the draft pick used on Jayson Tatum and a future first from the Kings to the Celtics to trade up to no. 1 for Fultz. It was a decision praised at the time, but after Fultz struggled in his workout with the Sixers last June, league sources say some Sixers front-office members suggested that despite making the trade, the team should have taken a second look at Tatum or Lonzo Ball. But the idea was shot down by Colangelo, according to sources. Fultz was the choice. There was no turning back.“

No turning back? Past the point of no return? What is this, the Phantom of the Opera?

On the bright side, Markelle Fultz is apparently working with shooting coach/trainer Drew Hanlen, who has previously worked with Joel Embiid and Justin Andersen of the Sixers, Bradley Beal of the Wizards, and Jayson Tatum of the Celtics.

Markelle Fultz working with elite NBA trainer Drew Hanlen 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/UUpmR9L4u0

— Sixers Legion (@SixersLegion) June 7, 2018

If Hanlen can work any of his Beal/Tatum magic on Fultz, it might leave Colangelo feeling vindicated years from now, but if it doesn’t, his insistence on drafting Fultz could go down as one of his worst blunders ever.