(Disclaimer: Forgot to add lotto-protection to DEN 25’ 1st that Magic would be trading to Sixers.)
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The Ben Simmons saga in Philly has reached its proverbial climax today with reports that the 76ers all-star will be fined 1.4 million for missed preseason games (and subsequent practices), nevermind his dismissal from practice today and suspension for the season opener. As much as the 76ers want to drive their asking price hard for Simmons, at this point the distraction doesn’t seem worth it any more even despite any leverage they may hold due to the longevity of his contract.
One team that’s been named amongst suitors interested in his services are the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite misgivings about his offensive game, I’m one of the (albeit few) people that actually love Simmons’ potential fit in Minnesota. Pair him with the young core of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns and you have a dynamic trio of talent that would diversify the T-Wolves strength on offense, and more importantly, on defense as well.
The interesting part here as always is what exact type of return the 76ers could command and in the particular case I’m suggesting here, the departure of D’Angelo Russell from Minnesota (one of the best friends of Towns). For me if I’m a Timberwolves fan, I love the prospect of this move. As much a big part of managing rosters in the NBA today is keeping your star players happy, KAT hasn’t done much to help make Sota fans happy over the past few years despite the different lineups they’ve tried to roll out with him. One thing in particular I think they’ve sorely lacked in recent years is a dominating presence on the defensive end and who better to solve that issue than arguably the best on-ball defender in the league with Simmons.
Yes, one could argue that Minnesota’s offense would take a hit here (duh), but you have to give up something to get something. Given that the approach these last few years for Minnesota has seemed to be focused around developing a strong offensive-minded roster, it’s clearly time for them to evolve with the lacking results they’ve yielded.
Between Edwards and Towns, they’d still boast a very dynamic threat on the offensive side of the ball (in addition to Simmons’ ability to attack the rim as well) - and now with Ben in tow, they’d have the proper length to help them match up against a variety of lineups facing them on defense. Throw in the addition of Patrick Beverley in the offseason to help defend against smaller, speedy guards and the Wolves could become one of the best defensive teams in the league. And as we know, better defense is usually derived from better effort, and with better effort comes a better culture - something that, arguably more than anything, Sota has lacked over the past decade or more
On the flip side of this trade, there is something to be said about where Philadelphia will be left after this move is said and done. And simply put, it’s a lot better than where they are standing right now trying to navigate through this overall locker-room implosion spearheaded by Simmons’ malcontent for the organization.
If you wanted to argue that there are better potential moves for the 76ers at this moment, I can’t argue that being true (as no one really knows what’s being offered or Philly’s true demands are). If you wanted to argue that it would be better for the 76ers to simply hold out and give this thing time, I can’t argue with that being true either because who knows how Simmons’ truly feels on the situation (considering he already wavered from his original stance of not returning at all). What you can’t argue is that the 76ers are in a good place right now. And the simplest decision would be to finally pull the trigger on a trade like this.
Just examining this move as a whole, even from a pure basketball standpoint this really isn’t a terrible move for the 76ers in the short term. D-Lo represents a formidable replacement for Simmons, especially on the offensive side of the basketball between his shooting and playmaking ability. Russell’s ability to space the floor could help Joel Embiid’s game grow even MORE with a point guard running the offense who would demand more respect from opposing defenses beyond the arc. Throw in Seth Curry’s shooting and Tobias Harris’ slashing ability and Philly’s offense would become a potential nightmare for opposing defenses in no time.
Where the 76ers don’t stand to benefit as much from this deal is on defense. As much as one can write-off Ben Simmons’ ability to shoot the basketball and what he brings overall to an NBA team’s offense, it’s undeniable how valuable he is on the other side of the ball.
I’ll argue time and time again that Ben Simmons may eventually be one of the best on-ball defenders that we will ever see grace an NBA court, if not already having become that. And for an organization that has built a culture around it’s team’s defense over the past few years, this would be quite the change for them. But the hallmark of any great basketball team, despite their potential excellence on the offensive or defensive side of the basketball, is balance.
Without some degree of balance, there will always be structural flaws of a roster like the Sixers current one. The most glaring issue as even their fans will point out is Simmons’ inability to stretch the floor, ESPECIALLY paired with a lineup that doesn’t feature many additional pieces who can shoot from deep/space the floor consistently as well (Curry, Korkmaz maybe, who else?).
This deal makes for a much more balanced approach in Philadelphia and leaves the potential concerns about the defense to future HOF head coach, Doc Rivers, who’s been revered for his ability to construct fantastic defensive game-plans. Or better yet, it would leave filling any holes on that side of the ball to analytics master/general manager Daryl Morey.
When taking into consideration the additional two first-round draft picks, and the pick-swap, that Philly would be receiving in this move as well, it airs on the side of becoming a no-brainer the more you think about it. The offense improves dramatically, the defense takes a hit but hopefully can be shored up by a few small tweaks, they’re left with a completely revamped war chest (between two additional first-rounders and a guaranteed improved one another year) to help navigate future roster development from here on out and most importantly, they put this whole Ben Simmons thing in the past.
... What is truly there to lose for the 76ers in this case? Simmons developing a shot and becoming the next LeBron overnight? .. They gave him YEARS to do that. Or maybe they’re concerned about potentially upsetting a subset of fans who still believe in this group .. despite, you know, the countless others having called for his head to this point? .. It’s time to move on in Philly.