Philadelphia 76ers
Chauncey Billups has talked a lot about how the Trail Blazers need to be better defensively and this is no secret to anybody in the league. Portland currently ranks 28th in the league in defensive rating and over the last three seasons, their average defensive rating has been about 25th in the league.
The Philadelphia 76ers need another scoring weapon like CJ McCollum and it just so happens that they have an All-Defensive, Defensive Player of the Year type of player just sitting at home watching his team play because he no longer wants to play for them.
Going out and trading for Ben Simmons would draw a lot of negative attention to the Portland Trail Blazers and this move would almost definitely come with a lot of scrutiny from the media, but there is no denying that Simmons is one of the best defensive players in the league for the 76ers.
Who knows, maybe he and Lillard could actually turn out to be a great All-Star duo because Ben Simmons is only 25-years-old and really is not terrible on the offensive-end of the floor. The 76ers have tried to mold him into what they want him to be over the years instead of just letting him be himself on offense, which has resulted in the 76ers failing when it matters most and Simmons being the one everyone points their finger at to blame.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Blazers Look To Trade CJ McCollum After Firing GM?
For his career, Ben Simmons has averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals and has shot 56% from the floor with the 76ers. Nothing about these numbers screams liability and while you can talk about his film all you want, pick-and-roll sets with Simmons as the screener and roller with Damian Lillard would be lethal.
Plus, given that he can guard anybody in the NBA at a high-level, Simmons would immediately make the Portland Trail Blazers a better defense team than they currently are.
With Anfernee Simons emerging as a young, potentially high-level guard, he could slide into a starting role in the backcourt next to Lillard and all of a sudden, the Blazers have some life to them.
Simons brings energy, Simmons brings defensive awareness and Lillard could continue being the elite-level offensive player that he is. Plus, Damian Lillard would likely get more shot attempts and looks every game without McCollum there.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Blazers Look To Trade CJ McCollum After Firing GM?
With the Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are the only high-level scorers on this team and while guys like Seth Curry, Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey have played well, these three guys are not the kinds of talents that will lead this team to a title.
The 76ers have been trying to trade Ben Simmons for a while now, but they have not found a team that is willing to match their asking price of a “championship-level player”. CJ McCollum is certainty this kind of talent and he could push the 76ers over the edge in terms of competing against other high-level teams in the East/
A trio of Embiid, Harris and McCollum is definitely good enough to win the Eastern Conference, which is why the 76ers are a team that should be interested in the Blazers’ guard.
