Why Philadelphia 76ers Make This Trade
The Philadelphia 76ers have lofty expectations for a return for Ben Simmons in any trade scenario. It is unclear how the team views Gordon Hayward, but he does check quite a few boxes that make him at least an intriguing possibility to ponder.
The obvious difference between Simmons and Hayward starts with perimeter shooting willingness and ability. Hayward is coming off a season where he shot 41.5% from beyond the arc on an average of 4.7 attempts per game. Alongside Joel Embiid, the floor would open up significantly instead of deploying Simmons often in the dunker’s spot during post-ups.
The 76ers must do what it takes to make it as difficult as possible for the opposition to send double-teams to Embiid when he’s attacking in the post and isolation. Hayward’s ability to not only hit shots from deep checks that box, but he can get downhill off-the-catch and make plays.
Additionally, having complete spacing during high screen-and-roll sequence with Embiid as the ball screener is important, too. Hayward would help achieve this goal when spacing the floor and is a pull-up shooting threat to add versatility to the 76ers’ half-court offense when serving as the ball handler.
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The clear risk with Gordon Hayward is his injury concerns. He played in just 44 of the 72 possible appearances with the Charlotte Hornets last season. He’s also set to turn 32-years-old during the upcoming season. Are those two factors alone enough to deter the 76ers from moving Simmons for him? Probably so, but it’s fun to think about, nevertheless.
