Brett Brown 'expected' Sixers to draft Andrew Wiggins and Nik Stauskas

What might have been is the question as the Sixers celebrate their first win and wonder what could have been if the lottery had gone a different way.

What if Andrew Wiggins were a Sixer? (USATSI)

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown said this week, before the Sixers finally mercifully got a win, that before the lottery he had expected the team to draft Andrew Wiggins and Nik Stauskas. Instead, the Sixers fell, and Sam Hinkie punted on the best draft in seven years, getting Joel Embiid (out indefinitely with a foot and back fracture) and Dario Saric (out indefinitely with a "lives in Europe").

Instead, Wiggins went No.1 and Embiid fell, which the Sixers weren't expecting, and jumped on. Then, with an even longer-term approach taken, the Sixers opted for Saric because they were "too good" to pass up despite being question marks on when or if they'll play in the NBA. 

Brett Brown on Andrew Wiggins pre draft: "I thought we had him. I was expecting we were going to draft Stauskas and Wiggins." #Sixers

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) December 4, 2014

This would have been a great plan. And even after the lottery, the Sixers probably could have gotten Wiggins for the No.3 and No. 10 pick. Is that a lot to give up, especially for a player who wasn't "surefire" like Andrew Wiggins? Absolutely. But it's better than leaving the franchise in limbo for two full years, hoping that maybe, somehow, they'll find "the guy." I'm done saying what the fans deserve. Most of the fans have pledged that they're happy no matter how ridiculous the tank gets, because they're not stuck in the mediocrity of the past.

But this is the second year now that the Sixers have been a joke. Not bad, but a real punchline in day-to-day conversation. The long-term upsides may be greater than the short-term humiliation, but there is a point where the extreme nature of their corrosive sucking can impact the team, the roster, and the organization.

And man, watching Wiggins unleashed on the Eastern Conference with a shooter like Stauskas next to him and Michael Carter-Williams running point would be fun. Wiggins would have made it easier on everyone else. But maybe Embiid will wind up the best player drafted last year and maybe Saric will carry through on his intentions to join the NBA in a few years (or even next year as some reports have indicated). It's just tough to look at where they are now, excited over their first win on December 3 and not wonder how things could have been.

HT: HoopsRumors