Former Sixers POBO Bryan Colangelo hired as advisor to BC Roma

Things are going well for the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, so I think it’s safe to touch on a topic from a time when things were much more…turbulent. The reason? Former Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo has been hired as an advisor by Italian professional club BC Roma.

First off, it’s nice for Bryan to still get the “Two-time NBA Executive of the Year” lead-in and not, you know, the other stuff which we’ll touch on momentarily. If you’re recalling a strong tie between Colangelo and Italy, you are correct. While the lead executive for the Toronto Raptors, he famously selected Italian Andrea Bargnani with the first overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, rather than seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, taken second overall by the Chicago Bulls and traded to Portland. As Sixers fans unfortunately know, poor decisions with the first overall pick were not limited to Colangelo’s time in Toronto; in 2017, he traded with Boston to move up and select Markelle Fultz first overall, with the Celtics taking Jayson Tatum with the third overall pick.

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In addition to getting absolutely schooled by Danny Ainge, Colangelo made a pair of trades during his time in Philadelphia that if not for divine intervention and other people picking up the pieces, would have cost the Sixers Tyrese Maxey. Back in 2016, he traded Jerami Grant and a top-20 protected 2020 first-round pick to Oklahoma City for Ersan Ilyasova. Of course, Mike Muscala’s heroics in the bubble meant that the Thunder moved up into the top-20 and the Sixers were able to retain that pick and select Maxey.

However, Colangelo had even traded that top-20 protected pick away in 2017 in order to draft Anzejs Pasecniks 25th overall (!!!!). Pasecniks played 28 career NBA games (all for the Wizards), while the Sixers could have drafted Derrick White or local favorite Josh Hart. Thankfully, in 2019, Elton Brand would get that Thunder pick back by trading Fultz to Orlando, cleaning up two Colangelo messes in one fell swoop. In my opinion, Brand does not get enough credit for ensuring Maxey eventually arrived in Philadelphia.

Before we go…

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Publish date : 2026-09-09 14:58:00

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