Option 3: Trade Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons has established himself as a premier defender and playmaker in this league. He is an All Star and arguably a top 15 player this season. Trading a player of Ben Simmons’ caliber is a bad idea, but one that the 76ers might have to entertain, especially if they have success this postseason without him.
Ben Simmons is a generational talent who often gets criticized by the media and fans due to his lack of a jump shot. Simmons excels in every area of the game except for the one that the Sixers need him to. His lack of outside shooting hurts the team’s spacing and directly affects Joel Embiid. It forces the big man to shoot more threes instead of dominating in the post. Simmons is often seen as a selfless player. However, his unwillingness to shoot from the outside could prove just the opposite.
The Sixers could decide this offseason that they want to focus on building their roster solely around Joel Embiid. If they do, the best way to do it might be by trading Simmons, who’s value will net some big pieces that wouldn’t be acquirable otherwise due to the heavy contracts already on their roster. There certainly won’t be a lack of suitors for the 24-year-old All-Star. They could get back some immediate impact players who better complement Embiid as well as a handful of picks.
Looking back on superstar trades in the league, most end up quite lopsided in favor of the team acquiring the said star. However, if the Sixers can get some collection of playmakers and shooters as well as picks, they would be foolish to at least not even entertain offers. They’d most likely lose the better player in any deal trading away Simmons, but they could deem it as addition by subtraction if they can add pieces that fit better around Embiid.
In my personal opinion, Simmons should not be traded and neither should Embiid. Ownership should take a look at bringing in a new coach or general manager before even considering trading one of their two stars. It is evident that the Sixers must make some sort of change this offseason because the formula they have now is simply not getting the job done.
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