Ben Simmons has been heavily involved in trade rumors this offseason. Just when rumors seemed to slow down, they picked right back up. Reports emerged Tuesday afternoon stating Simmons does not want to stay in Philadelphia and he doesn’t plan on reporting to training camp.
Simmons is essentially forcing his hand here, he will do everything in his power to get out of Philly. When Simmons trade rumors first began, the Cleveland Cavaliers tried to gauge the Sixers in a package surrounding Collin Sexton and Kevin Love for Simmons. Philadelphia seemed to shoot it down pretty quickly, and some thought Simmons did not want to play in Cleveland. Well, things have now changed as Simmons is reportedly open to playing for the Cavaliers.
Before discussing what Cleveland would need to give up for Simmons, would he even fit on the roster? In short, finding a spot for Simmons is difficult. Without question, Sexton would definitely be involved in this trade for Simmons. With Sexton’s departure the Cavs could slide Isaac Okoro to shooting guard. Then Simmons could possibly claim the starting small forward spot.
Simmons would make the most sense at power forward, but the Cavs already have Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love. Love would probably be out of Cleveland if the Cavs landed Simmons, but there’s still Mobley and Markkanen. Clearly, there would be a lot to figure out with lineups if the Cavalier acquired Simmons. He is capable of playing small forward, but then the Cavaliers would have a lineup of 6-foot-11 Simmons, 7-foot Mobley or Markkanen and 6-foot-11 Allen. This lineup is just way too big and could cause a lot of headaches on the defensive end. Mobley and Simmons’ defensive versatility could make the lineup very intriguing, it’s still unlikely to work.
Without Sexton, Cleveland would have a hole at shooting guard if Okoro would stay at small forward and Simmons started at power forward. However, Tyrese Maxey will reportedly be involved in a Simmons trade package.
Simmons and Maxey share the same agent, Rich Paul, and Paul wants them both out of Philly. Maxey is a young shooting guard coming off a solid rookie season. He is a very capable scorer and had a memorable 39 point performance against the Nuggets in January. Maxey would fill the shooting guard hole left by Sexton. Cleveland’s potential starting lineup would be Darius Garland at point, Maxey at shooting guard, Okoro at small forward, Simmons at power forward and Allen at center. This would give the Cavs a good scoring backcourt, two capable playmakers in Garland and Simmons and a lot of defensive talent with Okoro, Simmons and Allen.
While the Cavs’ potential lineup with Simmons and Maxey is attractive, they would have to give up a ton. Fore just Simmons, the 76ers reportedly asked the Spurs for four first-rounders, three first-round swaps and a young player. They also asked the Warriors for both James Wiseman and Andrews Wiggins and multiple first-rounders. After initial Cleveland and Philadelphia trade talks fizzled out, rumors said the Sixers basically wanted the Cavs entire young core including Garland, Sexton, and Okoro with multiple first-rounders. Philadelphia will only stay at this asking price, or even increase it if they included Maxey.
This is way too much for Simmons coming off a bad season. He’s had some bright moments in the NBA with three All-Star appearances. However, he still has not developed an acceptable jump shot after being in the NBA for four seasons. Simmons still struggles from the free throw line. He is one of the NBA’s premier defenders, but the Cavaliers have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Simmons is not going to help much with scoring right now. Plus, the Cavs are pretty firm on the fact that Garland is their centerpiece right now, they want to keep him. So if Simmons could be acquired without giving up Garland, Simmons is not going to be the the primary ball handler.
Giving up multiple young pieces and many draft picks just does not make sense for Cleveland. Also, the Cavs would likely keep Mobley, Markkanen and Allen if they traded for Simmons. No matter what, this creates a log jam in the frontcourt. Financially, the trade doesn’t make much sense either. Cleveland just paid both Allen and Markkanen. Garland will receive an extension next summer. Simmons is making well over $30 million annually for the next four seasons. The Cavaliers would have all their money locked up in the frontcourt and would have little to spare for guards and wings, which are the driving force in the modern NBA.
The Cavs remain one of the favorites to land Simmons, but it probably won’t happen. Cleveland would have to give up too much, and coming up with a lineup would be difficult. The Cavaliers are better off on their rebuild path right now, rather than giving up too much for the struggling Simmons.
Featured image courtesy of Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images
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