Ben Simmon, Philadelphia 76ers
Out of any trade scenarios for James Harden, it seems extremely likely that the Philadelphia 76ers are the frontrunners to land him and as a result, Ben Simmons would be the guy on the move from Philly.
The Philadelphia 76ers have three guys on their roster making $30M or more and with Joel Embiid off-limits, Ben Simmons is the All-Star talent the Houston Rockets want and need to be successful moving forward. Although he cannot shoot outside of the paint, having one of the worst jump shots in the entire NBA, Ben Simmons makes up for it by using his size and strength to score at the rim and be one of the league’s best passers.
Last season, Ben Simmons averaged 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists, a league-high 2.1 steals and shot 58% from the floor. Simmons was an All-Star for the second-consecutive year and was named to the 2019-20 All-NBA Third-Team, as well as the NBA All-Defensive First-Team.
As a 7-foot point guard, Ben Simmons is a complete mismatch for any team in the league. If a smaller guard is put on him, he will muscle them down in the paint. If a big man is put on him, then Simmons will drive past him and get to the rim. There is no way to stop Ben Simmons from being productive, especially given how good of a passer he is.
Simmons knows he is terrible at shooting, which is okay with him because every other aspect of his game is at an All-Star level. He is the only guy the Houston Rockets should want to pursue out of any player in the entire league in a trade for James Harden because of how easy of a player he will be to build around.
Other star players will want to play with him since he is not a #1 offensive option and because of how good he is at getting his teammates the ball. If the Rockets end up acquiring Ben Simmons, it would greatly speed up their potential rebuild and put them right in the conversation to continue being a playoff team in the Western Conference.
