How This Trade Impacts Philadelphia 76ers
While this trade might be the best the Sacramento Kings are willing to offer, the Philadelphia 76ers are likely to turn this deal down. There are a few reasons this deal wouldn’t appeal to the 76ers.
They want a young, All-Star-caliber player back in any package for Ben Simmons and unless they think highly of Marvin Bagley III, they are not getting that in this deal. Bagley is still only 22-years old, but he has not shown the All-Star potential yet that helped make him the No. 2 overall pick in 2018.
Another reason the 76ers would not do this deal is that it leaves them with a huge hole at the point guard position. That severely limits their options on the trade market, as they need to get back someone that can initiate and lead their offense. De’Aaron Fox or Tyrese Haliburton being included would fix that.
Buddy Hield would be a great fit as an efficient, volume 3-point shooter to help spread the floor offensively. He would be a good fit alongside Joel Embiid but is not a point guard. He filled in admirably near the end of the 2020-21 season as a playmaker when Fox and Haliburton were sidelined, but he is best as an off-ball player.
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The draft picks would be the biggest assets acquired in this deal by the Philadelphia 76ers. Their ultimate goal is to pry Damian Lillard away from the Portland Trail Blazers. Acquiring two more, unprotected first-round picks would help bolster their trade package even more.
Ultimately, while the draft picks would be nice, this is a deal the Philadelphia 76ers would likely decline. They need to acquire a point guard in any Simmons deal and this one doesn’t fill that need.
