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NBA Insider Claims Suns Are Targeting Popular 76ers Draft Target

The Philadelphia 76ers won't be in the range to draft a popular prospect on Thursday, following the Phoenix Suns' decision to move up.
Justin Grasso|
Nov 20, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Saint Joseph's Hawks forward Rasheer Fleming (13) shoots the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Nov 20, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Saint Joseph's Hawks forward Rasheer Fleming (13) shoots the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia 76ersPhoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are making moves in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. An NBA Insider claims that they are moving up in order to draft a popular Philadelphia 76ers target.

Rasheer Fleming out of St. Joseph’s is a name that many Sixers fans were excited to see still on the board at the conclusion of Wednesday night’s portion of the draft. With the Sixers set to go on the clock with the 35th pick, it seemed there was a chance they could be in play for the Camden native.

Barring any shocking changes, that will no longer be the case.

“The Suns' war room right now is eyeing St. Joseph's big man Rasheer Fleming at No. 31,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported shortly after the deal was announced.

“[The Suns are] finalizing their research and scouting before making their selection at 8 pm ET on ESPN.”

The Minnesota Timberwolves were the owners of the 31st pick this season. Roughly an hour before round two was set to begin, the Timberwolves traded the pick to Phoenix in exchange for No. 36 and two future second-round picks.

Fleming is entering the NBA after his third season in the NCAA. He made 101 appearances at the college level, picking up 87 starts. The forward averaged 14 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal during his junior season with the Hawks. He made 53 percent of his shots from the field, and knocked down 39 percent of his threes on 4.5 attempts per game.

According to ESPN’s rankings, Fleming was the second-best player available heading into Thursday night. Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud is listed first. Noah Penda, AdouThiero, Ryan Kalbrenner, Jamir Watkins, Alex Toohey, and Chaz Lanier, are a few other candidates who could be in play for Philadelphia, based on the rankings.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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