Does this trade make sense for the Philadelphia 76ers?
Philadelphia has to do something to shake things up. They continue trying essentially the same thing every year and it results in the same thing each time; an early postseason loss. At least in this scenario, they are making some drastic changes.
Instead of shipping Simmons out of town when his value is low, the 76ers can try and capitalize on his strengths in this scenario. Losing a talented scorer such as Harris hurts, but they are hopeful Walker can provide a similar impact from the point guard position.
Moving Simmons out of the point guard spot is a major change, but one Doc Rivers has to explore. The team can no longer afford to have him standing on the perimeter as a non-scoring threat, making it easy for opposing defenses to clog things up in the halfcourt when the game slows down in the postseason.
This is also risky because Simmons has pushed back on having the ball taken out of his hands before. It is reportedly one of the reasons Jimmy Butler left town. If the 76ers want to ultimately get over the hump, that is something that has to happen.
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While the injury history is concerning, this is a worthwhile gamble for the 76ers. Walker provides some scoring punch from the perimeter and floor spacing in the starting five. Philly also saves some money in the deal, as Walker’s contract is one year shorter than Harris’s.
