There has been a ton of discussion surrounding where the Philadelphia 76ers may trade NBA All-Star Ben Simmons. Thus far, they have not received an offer they like enough to pull the trigger on, but there has been plenty of interest in him.
Virtually every team in the NBA should have some level of interest in a 25-year old that has the resume Simmons does. His shortcomings offensively are well documented, but he is elite in other areas and is a multi-time All-Star and All-Defense Team member.
With accolades like that, organizations will take on the risk of bringing a player in. Simmons’s ceiling is as high as any player, as he could be one of the best in the league with some development in certain areas.
There have been numerous teams linked to Simmons. The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors all had outlandish trade offers from Daryl Morey and the 76ers centered around Simmons. The Indiana Pacers were the first team to reportedly send an offer to Philadelphia for him.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Ben Simmons’ Main Goal With Trade Is To Be No. 1 Option
Most recently, the Sacramento Kings, Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves have been linked to him the most. But, there is one team that stands out among them all that an NBA scout believes should go all-in on acquiring Simmons.
When talking to NBA Analysis Network’s own Evan Massey, this anonymous scout believes the Portland Trail Blazers should do everything they can to land Simmons.
“When I look at potential destinations for Ben Simmons, only one truly sticks out. Portland is head and shoulders above the rest. Simmons would be a perfect running mate for (Damian) Lillard. Move CJ McCollum in the deal, Norman Powell plays the two, and Simmons can slide in and provide a skill-set the Blazers have been needing.”
Simmons has already said that he doesn’t want to be traded to Portland, but at this point, he likely has little say on where he ends up. The Philadelphia 76ers are going to find and accept the best package they can and if it comes from Portland, so be it.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Ben Simmons’ Main Goal With Trade Is To Be No. 1 Option
With Damian Lillard on the roster, Simmons will not be the No. 1 option, which is part of the reason he doesn’t want to play with Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. But, there is no denying how good of a fit he would be in Portland.
The Portland Trail Blazers were very poor defensively last season, as the Sacramento Kings were the only team with a worse defensive rating in the NBA. The team has plenty of firepower offensively, but they need to start locking down defensively if they are to make any real noise in the postseason.
