Is Ben Simmons finished in Philly? Top 5 landing spots for the Sixers star
Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons backs down Boston Celtics Forward Jaylen Brown. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)
July 15th, 2021
Ben Simmons just finished the first year of a five-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, after a disappointing postseason performance, trade rumors are buzzing around Philly. Are the 76ers ready to move on from their former No. 1 pick?
Where will Simmons be playing basketball at the start of the 2021-22 NBA season? Let’s look at the top five landing spots for the beleaguered Sixers star.
5. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have the trade assets with Andrew Wiggins and a load of draft picks, and Simmons could go to Golden State and not have to worry about being a shooting threat with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson by his side.
Simmons would also serve as some much-needed defensive support in the backcourt to go along with the excellent defense of Draymond Green. The question, however, remains whether the Warriors want to give up draft picks when they already have a solid veteran nucleus.
"I think Ben Simmons answers a lot of questions for Golden State. He gives you size and would get the ball to Klay and Steph."
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 13, 2021
— @ColinCowherd on why the Warriors are the ideal trade partners for the Sixers: pic.twitter.com/gHEdc9BgMv
4. Portland Trail Blazers
With so much discussion about the possibility of Damian Lillard’s departure from Portland, Rip City could be an ideal landing spot for Simmons. The Trail Blazers would not trade Lillard for Simmons straight up, but if Lillard ends up getting traded elsewhere, the Blazers could try to scoop up Simmons to replace their departed point guard with an All-Star.
A new trade suggestion has the Philadelphia 76ers sending Ben Simmons to the Portland Trail Blazers. https://t.co/LjnYzYmqzA
— Sixers Wire (@SixersWire) July 14, 2021
3. Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards were the disappointment of the 2020-21 NBA season until their hot finish to make the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. All season long, both Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook were all over the trade rumors wire.
This would make a ton of sense for both the Wizards and Sixers to make a move here. The Sixers would improve greatly with the service of Beal, and the Wizards could go into rebuild mode with Simmons and some young prospects like Tyrese Maxey and draft picks.
Just a reminder that the Wizards were somehow 2nd in highest odds for getting Ben Simmons https://t.co/RTE0xbrTDH pic.twitter.com/Myq3BeBwd2
— Wizardry (@NBAwizardry) July 13, 2021
2. Philadelphia 76ers
The bottom line is that the Sixers have invested a lot into building their franchise around Simmons and Joel Embiid. They just signed him to a major five-year contract and they were rewarded with the best record in the Eastern Conference in the regular season. While the postseason was a disappointment, sometimes you must think about the bigger picture and know that the window for an NBA Finals run with this core is not closing yet.
"Ben Simmons is 24 years old, with an All-NBA Team under his belt and should've won DPOY. ... The 76ers are are not trading Ben Simmons for a B-Level player. If Dame or Beal become available they're at the front of that list." — @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/PKJoPWmdgB
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) July 14, 2021
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Two words: LeBron James. The four-time MVP is not happy with the Lakers' first-round exit in 2021, the first in his hall of fame career. Moves will be made in L.A., and although there is a lot of hype around Lillard joining the Lakers, Simmons makes more sense.
One of the biggest questions around Simmons is if he can handle the pressure of being the superstar in big moments, but in L.A., he will be the third option behind James and Anthony Davis. Simmons can be an elite defender and distributor for a championship team and there is no better place for him than with these Lakers.
ADVERTISEMENT
