"Surround him with shooters," they said. How about two of the top-20 three-point marksmen in the history of the game, both in terms of total makes and accuracy?
Those two would be Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors and, if recent trade speculation holds any weight, they could hypothetically find themselves playing alongside Ben Simmons, the "him" in the above quote. And though it's largely just that — speculation — nothing can be discounted when discussing the future of Simmons, the polarizing playmaker whose offensive woes in the postseason forced the devoted Sixers' fan base to turn their backs on him simultaneously (if they hadn't done so already).
The report that the 76ers are "committed" to Simmons as a central cog of the team can't be discounted. The other teams who have been labeled as potential parties of interest, like the Portland Trail Blazers, can't be discounted. And neither can the Warriors as a potential trade partner, with rumblings from Stephen A. Smith and Brandon "Scoop B." Robinson linking the two parties in trade talks.
On Friday's edition of ESPN's First Take, Smith said that it's a "damn lie" that Philadelphia is not interested in dealing Simmons and instead presented the Warriors as a team to listen for in the sweepstakes.
"You make a solid, bonafide offer, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to consider it," Smith said (h/t Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice). "I believe the Golden State Warriors are going to make a push for Ben Simmons, so keep your ears tuned, stay tuned. It's possible Ben Simmons could end up in Golden State."
Then, on Monday, a more concrete report involving the 76ers and Golden State surfaced from the aforementioned Robinson, though there was no direct mention of Simmons.
But let's say that the above report did specify Simmons. The Warriors were awarded the No. 7 pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves due to their Andrew Wiggins-D'Angelo Russell trade, both of whom are players that could be thrown around in suspected trade ideas involving Simmons. However, neither of those names — even if you combine Wiggins with the Warriors' No. 7 pick — would do much to excite the Philly fan base. It feels like there would have to be a lot more to garner the interest of Daryl Morey and the rest of the 76ers' front office, though it's also becoming evident that Simmons' trade value certainly isn't what it used to be.
What's more is that while Simmons wouldn't hurt the Warriors, he also wouldn't do too much that Draymond Green isn't already capable of, and a front court combo of those two really doesn't make much sense. And who would the Warriors even give the 76ers in return that's overly exciting? We've already gone over Wiggins and his clunky contract. Kelly Oubre Jr. is a free agent, and even if a sign-and-trade was worked out, his name also doesn't come off as a complete franchise-changer for Philly. James Wiseman doesn't fit... Klay Thompson, anyone? Doubtful.
And then there's the potential that a Warriors-Sixers swap involving the No. 7 pick doesn't involve Simmons at all, but perhaps a young player from their bench unit along with a handful of draft assets. And then, maybe, Morey could use No. 7 in combination with something else to make another trade. Who knows — we could go a million different directions from here. But rumors are rumors, and — I'll say it again — you can't discount any of them.
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