The Sixers are, at the very least, going to be exploring the possibility of trading Ben Simmons this offseason following their disappointing playoff exit to the Atlanta Hawks in the second round.
Could there be a deal to be made with the Cleveland Cavaliers?
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers are expected to be “aggressive” in an attempt to add young, All-Star players this offseason, and will be using the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to do it.
The Cavaliers trying to land a player that could help them make the postseason is not surprising, considering they haven’t been to the playoffs without LeBron James since he was drafted in 2003. In what is considered a strong draft class, the No. 3 pick is a major asset in any trade discussions, and if they want to trade it, there should be plenty of teams interested in trading elite-level talent to get it.
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Although fans in Philadelphia are frustrated (rightfully so) with Simmons right now, the Cavaliers trying to acquire him does make a ton of sense.
For all of his playoff issues, Simmons has been a very good regular-season player and has helped lead the Sixers to the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. He is also under contract on a five-year, $177 million contract, something that might actually be appealing to Cleveland considering the issues they have had getting elite-level free agents to willingly sign there.
The Sixers trading Simmons for the No. 3 overall pick would make sense for them as well, as it would give them (ideally) a cost-controlled, elite-level guard to pair with Joel Embiid. Four of the top five players in this year’s draft are projected to be guards, the team’s top position of need this offseason.
To make the deal work financially the Sixers would likely have to take on Kevin Love’s massive contract, which has roughly two-years, $60 million left. It is also possible the Sixers could ask for point guard Colin Sexton in a deal that included Simmons.
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Whether the two sides will make a deal remains to be seen, but with both sides seemingly in the market to make a splash, it would be very surprising if they didn’t have any talks about a potential Ben Simmons trade this offseason.