Does this deal make sense for the Philadelphia 76ers?
The Philadelphia 76ers have been targeting Damian Lillard for months now so there’s no reason why they should not be willing to complete this trade.
Damian Lillard is light-years better than Ben Simmons in terms of being a guy that can deliver a championship and quite honestly, both Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle are nothing more than role players in Philly.
They could absolutely be more and grow into much better players, but the 76ers play through their three key talents and have Danny Green and Seth Curry as secondary options. Both Maxey and Thybulle are just role players for this team and their roles are not going to really increase over time in terms of helping the 76ers contend for a championship.
All of the assets the 76ers would be trading out to Portland in this deal for Lillard really do not affect them, which is why this trade makes complete sense for them.
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Right now, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are playing the best basketball of their respective careers, but they need that third-star contributor on their team to actually contend for a championship, especially in the Eastern Conference with the likes of the Nets, Bucks, Heat, and others.
Ben Simmons is one of the best defenders in the league and still has a lot of potential to grow into something special, but he is one of the biggest liabilities in the league offensively and is not a player the 76ers can build around confidently in attempts to win a title.
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The only way Philly can capitalize on their small championship window is by pulling off a trade for Damian Lillard, but right now, things look very bleak. Portland does not want to trade Lillard and he does not necessarily want to be traded right now, which is why the 76ers may have to turn their attention to someone else in a Ben Simmons-oriented trade, that is if they still want to move him.
