It will be an interesting NBA offseason with a couple of big names reportedly being available on the trade market.
Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard could be moved in the coming months. Anthony Slater of The Athletic says the Golden State Warriors have already held internal discussions about pursuing the six-time All-Star.
Now, The Athletic’s NBA insider, Shams Charania, is reporting that the Philadelphia 76ers are open to holding trade talks involving 2016 No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons.
The 76ers have opened up trade conversations surrounding Simmons and have engaged with teams, sources told The Athletic. Those sources also say that teams that have engaged with the 76ers about Simmons have been met with a high price threshold for the three-time All-Star.
“(The 76ers) want an All-Star-caliber player in return,” one source with knowledge of the ongoing talks said.
Charnia adds that several NBA teams are interested in acquiring the soon-to-be 25-year-old. Simmons averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game while helping the Sixers finish as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
But Simmons struggled once again in the postseason as the Sixers crashed out of the playoffs following a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Round 2.
Although Simmons put up 11.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.8 assists in the postseason, he failed to assert himself when the game was on the line. The three-time All-Star shot 15-for-45 (33%) from the free-throw line against Atlanta and just 34.2% from the charity type during the playoffs overall. The worst percentage of any player with more than 70 attempts, per ESPN Stats and Info.
Simmons’ fourth quarter stats are one of the main reasons many in the NBA believe he will be moved this offseason.
Even though Simmons faltered in the playoffs, there’s still plenty to like about the LSU product. He’s been named first-team All-Defense twice and was an All-NBA team member in 2019-20. Simmons is also locked into a contract that has four years and $147 million remaining.
Brady did an excellent job of breaking down how Simmons would fit the Warriors last week. If the Sixers are only interested in getting an All-Star in return, any deal with the Dubs would be tough to make work due to the financial constraints.
Stephen Curry isn’t going anywhere, and the Warriors would almost certainly not move Klay Thompson. Draymond Green’s name has been floated around, but his fit with a team like the Sixers is questionable.
Which team do you think Simmons will be playing for next season?
On to some links:
The Warriors will have plenty of options if they elect to keep the No. 7 pick, but one might be off the table. NBC Bay Area’s Drew Shiller says some inside the organization aren’t high on Baylor point guard Davion Mitchell.
Thompson continues to live his best life while he prepares to return to the court. The All-Star guard was the Space Jam: A New Legacy premiere and had a funny response when asked about who would win between Bugs Bunny and LeBron James (Bleacher Report)
How have the TV ratings been for the 2021 NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks? The Associated Press breaks down how the numbers look compared to last year.
