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Another pivotal offseason is underway in Philadelphia, and the head of the snake is 76ers star Ben Simmons. How will Daryl Morey approach it?
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated from the playoffs early, and now have several questions to answer before next season begins. For the fourth straight season, the Sixers failed to advance past the second round, and this particular loss will prove to be the darkest of them all.
In 2018, the first year of Ben Simmons’ and Joel Embiid’s partnership, it was understandable for an upstart team to be thwarted by the Boston Celtics. 2019 was defensible too, as the Sixers lost to the Toronto Raptors by a sliver. In 2020, facing the Celtics once again, they were without Simmons for the entire series, and they didn’t have the best construct to help Embiid thrive either.
2021 was a great opportunity for the revamped Sixers. They put shooters around their two stars once again, ran roughshod to the 1 seed in the East, and guaranteed that they wouldn’t face the Milwaukee Bucks or Brooklyn Nets until the Conference Finals. Their path to a championship had never been clearer. And yet, they found a way to blow it.
The poster child for this disappointment is Simmons, who deserves much of the onus. The Atlanta Hawks were not a great or even good defensive team, especially not without De’Andre Hunter, and Simmons still got schemed out of the game. His defense on Trae Young was remarkable, and it did propel the Sixers to victories in Games 2 and 3, but he was neutralized on offense for the third straight postseason. The Simmons-Embiid partnership is in question once again.
1. Will the 76ers trade Ben Simmons?
This is where the offseason begins and ends for the Sixers. What they do with Simmons will have drastic effects on the franchise and the NBA as a whole. If they move on from him without receiving proper value, they could suffer from months, even years, of public criticism. However, if they keep him and head into next season with mostly the same group, the pressure on Simmons and the team will only grow. They have to play their cards very carefully this summer — or they risk making a franchise-altering mistake.
To their credit, they’ve remained steady to the public eye. Reports indicate they’re not actively shopping Simmons, but they also make it clear that he’s not completely untouchable. There’s a sweet spot where the Sixers would pull the trigger; what is that range, and what teams will operate there?
Knowing Morey, he’s probably trying to dig for treasure. Lucky for him, there could be a crowned jewel of the summer: Damian Lillard. The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t given any inkling that they’re even considering a Lillard trade, but situations like these can grow rapidly. The same goes for Bradley Beal; there’s no sign that the Washington Wizards’ star is available either, but crazier things have happened.
There’s also no guarantee that “Simmons and stuff” is a package either team would covet; they might be better off opting for a “rebuild starter pack” of sorts that’s loaded with picks, rookie contracts and flexibility. In either case, the Sixers might have to include a third team that can reroute more assets.
If neither superstar ends up being available, or if the Sixers can’t put together a satisfactory package for either franchise, then the pickings get slim. Star for star trades are very rare in the NBA; if you’re trading for a star, you’re probably trying to make a serious leap instead of reshuffling the deck.
If Morey can’t get his hands on Lillard, CJ McCollum would be a nice consolation. A guy who both takes and makes lots of 3-pointers while also moonlighting as a point guard, he would be an excellent fit in Philly. Given how well we saw Seth Curry mesh with Embiid, a supercharged version of that player could take the Sixers’ offense higher than it’s ever been.
Zach LaVine is another tantalizing player to target. He is an unrestricted free agent in 2022 and might not be keen on committing to the Chicago Bulls before then. After all, LaVine didn’t choose Chicago; he was traded there from the Minnesota Timberwolves, then signed an offer sheet from the Sacramento Kings that the Bulls matched. Granted that was three years ago, but LaVine has gotten better every year in Chicago while the team, on the whole, has not. Turning LaVine, who has one year left on his deal, into Simmons, who has four, may be a shrewd move for a franchise that’s starving for a playoff berth.
A 29-year-old McCollum or an expiring LaVine is certainly a downgrade from the fake Simmons trades of the past. But unless De’Aaron Fox or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander magically becomes available, the Sixers are unlikely to receive “equal value” talent-wise for Simmons. In a best-case scenario they’re packaging him with the kitchen sink for a superstar; anything else will feel lukewarm.
2. Do the 76ers need to make other trades besides Ben Simmons?
While a Simmons trade is the Sixers’ easiest path to getting better, they have other artillery. Their stable of young guys is not empty, and they can send out up to three future first-round picks without receiving any back (see: Stepien rule). Additionally, they have some useful salaries for trades, such as Seth Curry ($8.2 million), George Hill (up to $10 million) and whatever they re-sign Danny Green for (more on him later). The trade exception from the Al Horford trade is useful too, as the Sixers can absorb up to $8.2 million in salary without sending any players out.
On their own, these pieces probably won’t fetch something that makes sense for the Sixers. But when put together, the combinations could net them a significant piece for their championship puzzle. And as we know with Morey, he won’t leave any stone unturned.
With Marvin Bagley III seemingly frustrated in Sacramento, would the Sixers dangle Hill’s expiring (and a minor sweetener) to get the stretch-5 they’ve been lacking? How available is Cedi Osman? Could a first, a young player and filler be enough to poach Malcolm Brogdon? Quality upgrades are available.