Philadelphia 76ers Receive: G CJ McCollum, G/F Caris LeVert
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: C Myles Turner, G/F Danny Green, G Jaden Springer, IND 2022 1st Round Pick (Unprotected), PHI 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-3 Protected)
Indiana Pacers Receive: G/F Ben Simmons, C Cody Zeller
The Portland Trail Blazers and Indiana Pacers have both been rumored to have an interest in trading for Ben Simmons since the offseason and they each have key assets to offer up. CJ McCollum and Caris LeVert could fill immediate scoring needs for the Philadelphia 76ers, once again making them a real playoff threat.
Earlier this month, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Pacers were on the verge of rebuilding and will be “receptive” to trade offers for Myles Turner, Caris LeVert, and Domantas Sabonis this season.
It is unlikely that they will move on from Sabonis given his value in the frontcourt, but both Turner and LeVert are expendable pieces on Indiana’s roster.
Both players are under contract for one more season and if the Indiana Pacers can land a ton of value for them right now, it would be in their best interest to do so.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Inside Pacers’ Pursuit Of Ben Simmons Trade With Sixers
Ben Simmons definitely has his problems on the offensive end of the floor in terms of shooting and his off-the-court drama since this past offseason is definitely concerning, but there is no denying that Simmons is one of the best defenders in the entire league.
Quite honestly, the 76ers’ All-Star really is not that bad of an offensive player either when you look at his numbers as a whole. Making the All-Star Game three out of the four seasons he has played in the league, Simmons has averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and has shot 56% from the floor for his career during the regular season.
Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis are both high-level offensive threats, but Indiana needs to find ways to improve defensively and they need a third star.
Simmons could not only become the key facilitator for this team and take pressure off of Brogdon, but he could really find his niche as a pick-and-roll scoring threat given Malcolm Brogdon’s ability to pass and score off-the-dribble.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Inside Pacers’ Pursuit Of Ben Simmons Trade With Sixers
The Portland Trail Blazers are on the verge of collapse this season and with them currently being 13-20, their only hope to find future success at this rate is to make a big roster change. Adding Ben Simmons would surely be a great move to make, but they need to try and add as much future value as they can.
Hitting the “reset” button and not only adding Myles Turner and Danny Green to help them defensively but adding Jaden Springer and two first-round picks can get Portland to where they want to be as a somewhat stable franchise.
Damian Lillard’s future is going to be in question no matter how many times he refutes trade rumors and at some point, it is likely that he will leave Portland.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Inside Pacers’ Pursuit Of Ben Simmons Trade With Sixers
The Trail Blazers need to be prepared for this moment and by leveraging CJ McCollum now, they can add future assets that they currently do not have.
This trade is a risk for all three teams to take this season, but they are all needing to make a significant change in order to find success moving forward.
