Does this trade make sense for the Philadelphia 76ers?
Quite honestly, I am not really sure why the Philadelphia 76ers believe in Ben Simmons as someone who can help deliver a title to them. In 5-7 years, maybe Simmons will reach his full potential, but right now, he is nothing more than a project in this league.
He is a broken offensive player who is elite on the defensive-end of the floor, but as an All-NBA performer and All-Star talent, there is no reason why Simmons struggles so much to score. Not being able to shoot is one thing, but he simply lacks the intensity to put his head down and get to the rim.
Philly is in a position to contend for championships now and they are not going to do so with a passive, soft “guard” like Ben Simmons, at least how he is right now. They do not have time to sit around and wait for him to develop, which is why trading him for an established ball-handler and scorer like CJ McCollum makes sense.
The 76ers are interested in Damian Lillard as well, but getting McCollum is just as good for them in terms of adding another elite-level scorer and they can do so at a much lower price, as Hughes mentions in his piece. There really is no reason for the 76ers not to like this trade, which is why they should trade Ben Simmons.
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Eventually, Simmons has a chance to be one of the best two-way players in this league, but this is not going to happen overnight like Philadelphia needs. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are great, but Simmons is only great on defense. His lack of productivity on offense was a direct reason why Philly failed in the playoffs and will continue to be the reason they do not win a title if they keep him around.
While the 76ers would probably want to get the most out of a player like Ben Simmons, trading him straight up for CJ McCollum brings a lot of benefits to this team, too many in my opinion for Philadelphia to turn down. They are in a “win-now” position and they will not do so with Simmons as their point guard moving forward.
