Finally free of months of suspense, the 76ers can start to put things in motion. They can also celebrate this thing over which they had no control, but that wound up meaning so much to them. They can grin and laugh and embrace now that the results of Monday’s NBA draft lottery are finalized.

The Sixers got the No. 3 overall pick after entering the 2025 NBA draft lottery with the fifth-best odds of earning the No. 1 overall pick.

The expectation is that the Dallas Mavericks will take Cooper Flagg at No. 1 overall, while the San Antonio Spurs are a wild card at No. 2 and could either stay put or perhaps trade it for a veteran star (cough, cough, Giannis Antetokounmpo, cough).