At the moment, the Philadelphia 76ers have their eyes focused on the Boston Celtics in Round 1 of the playoffs. The series is currently 1-1 after rookie VJ Edgecombe stepped up to lead Philadelphia to a Game 2 win on the road in order to steal home court advantage.
With that being said, it doesn't hurt to look ahead to the offseason and see if the Sixers can add another talented piece to the roster. They will officially have the No. 22 pick in the draft via the Houston Rockets--the pick they acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Jared McCain trade.
A mock draft put together by Yahoo! Sports has the Sixers selecting Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas:
Krivas is a 7-2 Lithuanian center who does the old-school things by rebounding, protecting the rim and scoring in the post. But he also brings a modern flair with his ability to make good reads as a passer and the flashes he shows as a shooter. Krivas could anchor bench units when Embiid is healthy, and potentially play a bigger role when he’s not. No matter what happens with Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are both young pieces who need a big man to support them. Krivas has all the tools needed.
Krivas may not keep his name in the draft, however. Executives say he’s received an extremely lucrative offer to stay in Arizona for next season, one that would be worth more than what he could earn in his slot at $3.4 million as a rookie drafted 22nd. By Friday, we’ll know what Krivas decides.
Krivas averaged 10.4 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 56.9% from the floor in his junior season in 2025-26. As mentioned above, he is more of an old-school big man as he does his work in the post and isn't much of a shooter, but when considering the Sixers could use more size and depth at the center spot, looking at Krivas at this spot is a good look for this group.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 2026 NBA mock draft: Sixers select Motiejus Krivas at No. 22 pick
