Texas Longhorns Star Predicted to Land With Sixers at NBA Draft

A recent NBA Mock Draft has the Sixers taking a Texas Longhorns star.

Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) looks to pass during their second round game of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Nicole Hester / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the Philadelphia 76ers shockingly coming up way short of their early 2024-2025 expectations, they are in a position to potentially keep their top-six protected draft pick away from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Since the Sixers continue to load up the injury report with unfortunate setbacks to core players, the team has struggled to find success down the stretch, resulting in them being included as a potential top-six team in NBA mock drafts.

In ESPN’s latest, the Sixers were predicted to land the Texas Longhorns star Tre Johnson.

“Despite a middling season for Texas (17-14), Johnson has endeared himself to scouts, as there's a willingness to forgive his tricky team context and the ups and downs of his demanding role,” ESPN wrote.

As a former five-star recruit out of Texas and Missouri, Johnson went to Texas with the thought of being a one-and-done prospect. The freshman guard is living up to the hype as he’s built a case to be a potential top-five pick at 19 years old.

This season, Johnson played in 32 games. In those matchups, he averaged 20 points on 42 percent shooting, knocking down 39 percent of his threes. Johnson also produced three rebounds and three assists per game.

“The Sixers seem to have found a long-term backcourt pairing in Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, but considering it was 2018 when they last had a top-10 draft pick, Philadelphia should swing on the selection with the most upside. Johnson would give them a third young guard to build around,” ESPN added.

Since the Daryl Morey era started in 2020, the Sixers made and kept three selections in the first round. All three picks were young guards coming off of their first season in the NCAA.

Tyrese Maxey panned out to be an All-Star, who re-signed with the Sixers on a max deal this past summer. Jared McCain was on pace to be a potential Rookie of the Year finalist until a knee injury in December sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Jaden Springer was the only selection who struggled to find a role in that position. Last year, the Sixers traded the 2021 first-round pick to the Boston Celtics. At this point, Springer is getting reps with the Utah Jazz after he was traded and waived back in February.

If the Sixers end up keeping their pick away from the top-seeded Thunder in June, Johnson could be a potential addition as his draft stock remains high.

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