Ben Simmons – Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers had a golden chance to possibly make their first NBA Finals appearance since 2001, as they were the one seed in the Eastern Conference, but they fell short of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, as they lost to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. 

Now, after their season ending in disappointment, a lot of the blame from the media and fans has been put on Ben Simmons. The 24-year-old 7-footer has consistently been one of the better defensive players in the league, as he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the second consecutive season, but offensively, Simmons has been non-existent at times. 

In their playoff series against the Hawks, Ben Simmons was extremely passive on the offensive-end of the court, even though he had a size and length advantage over his opponents, and specifically at the free-throw line. Simmons only shot 15-45 (33.3%) from the free-throw line in this series against the Hawks and in the playoffs, he shot 25-73 (34.2%) from the line. 

His poor performance directly helped contribute to the 76ers losing “early” in the postseason, which is why his name has been the most talked about so far this offseason. In fact, the day after the Sixers lost their playoff series to Atlanta, Simmons was already being discussed as a potential trade target of the Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors! 

If Ben Simmons is indeed available via a trade this offseason, he will be one of the most prized assets on the market because of how young he is and because of the potential he still possesses. He has yet to develop fully as an NBA player and while his offensive struggles are well documented, he is not a complete “lost cause.” 

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Offensively, he is not the focal point for Philadelphia and this would likely be the same for any new team that Simmons could potentially be traded to, but he can definitely make strides on improving as an offensive threat should he be willing to put in the work to do so. If he can’t shoot, he can’t shoot, but there is no reason why Ben Simmons cannot be a threat to drive down the lane and finish inside the paint or at the rim given his length and athleticism. 

With the 76ers in a “win-now” position as a franchise with Joel Embiid being a legit MVP candidate and Tobias Harris in the prime of his career, it may be wise for this franchise to possibly look at trading Simmons. This situation comes down to time and whether or not the Sixers are willing to wait around for a guy they are paying $30M+ per year to actually do something for them. 

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As of right now, things are trending towards the Philadelphia 76ers exploring trade opportunities for Ben Simmons, but ultimately, if they cannot receive a high-level talent in return that can help them win immediately, then they will likely be holding onto their All-Star “guard.” 

If the 76ers were to trade Ben Simmons this offseason, they would want guys like C.J. McCollum, Bradley Beal or Kyle Lowry in return, which may not be realistic at this moment. There is a strong chance that Philadelhpia trades Simmons this offseason, but the question of what exactly they are looking for in return remains a major unknown.