Mikal Bridges kept showing up in the Philadelphia 76ers’ draft lane for a reason. He was a Philadelphia native, a Villanova University champion, and the player many had mapped to pick #10 when the 76ers were on the clock.
That link grew from a longer draft path. The pick that became Bridges had already moved to the Phoenix Suns in the Steve Nash to LA trade, then went from Phoenix to the Philadelphia 76ers on February 19th, 2015, in a three team trade for Brandon Knight. By draft week, the 76ers owned the 10th pick and Bridges was the name most often attached to it.
Phoenix To Philadelphia
The trade history mattered because it made Bridges part of both franchises’ draft story. What started as a Suns asset eventually landed with the 76ers, and that gave Philadelphia a clean chance to take a local wing who fit a roster built around Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
The fit was not just about geography. The 76ers were coming off a 52-win 2018 campaign, and Dario Saric and Robert Covington had already settled in as the forward duo between Simmons and Embiid. Only Ben Simmons played more games than Saric and Covington that season, and Covington had finished 8th in Defensive Player of the Year voting while making All-Defense 1st team in 2018.
Villanova University Roots
Bridges had already given Philadelphia a bigger stage moment two months before the draft discussion. He was the second leading scorer in the NCAA national championship game, and Villanova beat the University of Michigan 79-62.
That championship team also included Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Eric Paschall, and Collin Gillespie. Michigan had future Phoenix Sun Isaiah Livers, while Bridges did the work at Philadelphia’s own Villanova University. For a city that had watched him win there, the appeal was obvious.
Robert Covington Comparison
The projection was not a mystery. The Ringer ranked Bridges as the 10th best prospect, and Sports Illustrated and both mocked him to go 10th in the draft. The same guide used Robert Covington as its number one comparison for Bridges, which pointed to the exact problem Philadelphia already had at forward: length, shooting, and defense were covered.
That is why the green room scene carried extra weight. Bridges and his mother celebrated while the 76ers were on the clock at pick #10, and his mother worked in the Philadelphia 76ers human resources department. The hometown fit was real, but the roster math was tight.
Why the Philadelphia 76ers ultimately did not select Mikal Bridges at pick #10 is not explained, and that is the part that still gives this draft story its edge. The son of Philadelphia, the Villanova champion, and the player tied to that pick all pointed in the same direction; the 76ers simply went another way.
