Ben Simmons is officially on the trade market, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, as the Sixers have started engaging in trade talks with teams about the three-time All-Star following Philadelphia’s latest early postseason exit.
It’s not a surprising turn of events given how everything ended this season, with Simmons’ refusal to even try and score in the fourth quarter being the leading talking point after Philly’s collapse against Atlanta in the conference semis. It’s also not a surprise that the Sixers are reportedly keeping their asking price high for the 25-year-old star who, despite some warts, still has an immensely unique and tantalizing skillset. As such, it’s only going to take one team to be enamored with that ability to make a deal happen and meet Philly’s ask of an “All-Star caliber” player in return.
Here, we’ll take a look at six such players who could fit the bill as centerpieces for a Simmons trade, with the obvious caveat that much of the league will be calling with at least some interest in Simmons and we are only hitting on six possibilities.
CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
The most obvious trade is rarely the one that actually gets made, but, I mean, come on. The Blazers are desperate for defensive help and already have a superstar guard who can handle the scoring load in Damian Lillard. The Sixers are desperate for an on-ball creator in the backcourt who can get his own shot and take the burden off of Joel Embiid (and Tobias Harris). So, why wouldn’t this deal get done? Well, maybe the Sixers think they can get a better player than McCollum, with Marc Stein floating that he might not even be the player in Portland’s backcourt that they want. Maybe the Blazers think it should be more of a 1-for-1 swap rather than them also sending picks to Philadelphia. There are negotiating stumbling blocks that can derail any possible deal, but if you’re talking about the trade that makes the most sense for both teams, this is the one.
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
LaVine is due for a huge payday after next season and it’s possible the Bulls won’t be able to keep him around in free agency, so cashing in on his career-year and landing someone in Simmons who is on a longer-term deal could make sense for a still-building Chicago squad. It’s certainly not a perfect fit for a Bulls team that has shooting question marks already around LaVine, but getting someone with that level of talent who isn’t at risk of walking in a year could be enough to make them pull the trigger. As for Philly, LaVine would be a great get in terms of fit. He is a terrific shot-maker, which they desperately need, and his defense is a bit underrated at this point, especially if he’s put in a strong defensive system in Philly. Most any trade the Sixers make is going to come with that give and take of losing defense to gain offense, but they have to feel that’s necessary at this point. They would have to feel comfortable ponying up for a big contract for LaVine next summer to make this move, but it could push them closer to a title and that’s what Morey’s chief concern always is.
Kyle Lowry (sign-and-trade), Toronto Raptors
It wouldn’t be a Sixers potential trade post if we didn’t include Philly’s favorite son, Kyle Lowry, would it? A sign-and-trade with Toronto for Lowry would definitely be a “win-now” type move, and it might be incumbent on: 1) How much Lowry is looking for in a contract and, 2) If Toronto would be willing to chip a little more in with him to make this happen. It would make a ton of sense for the Sixers as they are certainly in win-now mode and could very much use a steady-handed veteran point guard like Lowry, who also would bring a commanding voice to the locker room. He doesn’t bring the upside of a LaVine or McCollum, but also would seem to be a floor-raiser, which might be as important for a team with Joel Embiid doing the ceiling pushing. Simmons isn’t exactly a snug fit in Toronto with Pascal Siakam providing a similar skillset, but the Raptors might just be in talent acquisition mode at the moment, and would try to figure the rest out later.
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
We have now reached the portion of the program where we are stretching a bit on one side or the other. The Sixers would jump at the opportunity to swap Simmons for Beal, of that I am very confident. The Wizards? Maybe not so much. You can certainly make an argument for it, as it gets them a younger star who opens their window a touch more, but Simmons and Russell Westbrook is an…interesting, at best, fit together in the immediate and Washington would have to be fairly convinced they need to take a year or two to rebuild in order to do this. That has never been their MO, and as such, this might be a tough sell. Still, from Philly’s perspective, Beal might be at the top of their wishlist of stars they may actively pursue in trade discussions, rather than just welcoming calls.
Malcolm Brogdon (and more), Indiana Pacers
This one goes the other way in that the Pacers would likely love to flip Brogdon for Simmons, but the Sixers are less keen on the upside of such a deal. There was a report earlier in the month that Philly turned down Brogdon and the 13th pick for Simmons, which isn’t surprising, and if the Pacers want to get in serious talks about Simmons, they’ll likely need to add more to the deal in terms of players who could help currently — TJ Warren, possibly. To me, this is the type of deal that happens right before the season if the Sixers just cannot find a better deal for Simmons and feel that the organization’s relationship with him is so broken they cannot bring him back at all.
Dejounte Murray (and more), San Antonio Spurs
If the Sixers are willing to venture outside the All-Star realm, there is something interesting to me about taking a run at Dejounte Murray. He would keep the floor of the Sixers defense (very) high, although not quite offering the positional versatility of Simmons, while being a more capable scorer on the other end, even if he doesn’t offer the upside of a McCollum/LaVine type. Part of the issue with a Spurs trade is they just don’t have anyone on the books to really spice this deal up and make it really interesting to Philly, as I can’t imagine them wanting to part with both Murray and Derrick White, and the only other player they can really offer is Jakob Poeltl to provide an upgrade for the Sixers at backup center. Murray, Poeltl, and a pick saves the Sixers some money in the immediate, but isn’t exactly a splashy deal that would get Philly fans excited, even if it might be a better deal in practice than some others.