Just like that the Philadelphia 76ers 2020-21 season has come to an end.
Despite possessing the top seed in the East, and home court advantage throughout the postseason, Doc Rivers and the Daryl-Morey-constructed Sixers were unable to get out of the second round – a theme that’s become all too common over the past few years.
While postseason heartbreak is nothing new to Sixers fans, this year stung in particular, primarily due to how it signaled the potential end of at least one key “process” member’s time in Philadelphia. Ben Simmons looked mentally checked out all series long, and the way players and coaches alike were talking about him during the post-game press conferences made it seem like it’s a matter of “when” and not “if” when it comes to a potential Simmons trade.
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There’s been rumors of Simmons being moved for the past few seasons now, but last night’s Game 7 collapse feels like the final straw. Joel Embiid and his knees aren’t getting any younger, and Morey isn’t typically one to sit around and run things back year after year. We know he was interested in moving Simmons for James Harden earlier in the year – the dialogue has at least come up once before.
While Simmons’ trade value is undoubtedly lowered following a below average postseason, his overall age and resume should still be enough to illicit some sort of return. I’d rule out acquiring guys like Stephen Curry or Luka Doncic, but other ball-dominant guards will still be in play.
The Philadelphia 76ers are nearing a Ben Simmons trade – here are 7 players Daryl Morey could end up targeting.
Keep reading to see a quick list of early trade targets to keep an eye on:
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Damian Lillard is probably worthy of having his name included alongside the likes of Curry and Doncic, in that “unobtainable” sphere, but I’m going to mention him on a list like this solely due to the direction that the Portland Trail Blazers as a franchise have been heading over the past few seasons. They’ve continuously tried to run things back around the same core group of players, and simply put it hasn’t worked. If Lillard gets truly fed up this offseason, and publicly expresses a desire to be traded, the Sixers would be one of the first teams to call.
Lillard is fantastic, and would represent an immediate upgrade at the point guard position. He averaged 28.8 and 7.5 this past season, shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc.
All of the other players on this list are debatably worse than Simmons in a vacuum, but Lillard is just flat out better. Pairing him alongside Embiid would create one of the best duos in the NBA, immediately re-opening Philadelphia’s championship window.
The tricky part with Lillard of course would be acquiring him. We’re talking Simmons, Thybulle, Maxey, and multiple first-round picks. A similar package that the team offered for Harden earlier this past season. A worthy price to pay, but an expensive one nevertheless.
CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
The other, far more obtainable scoring guard on the Trail Blazers, CJ McCollum is a guy who Philadelphia 76ers fans have been intrigued with for quite some time now. A high-volume shooter coming off a 23.1 PPG season, going after McCollum leans into the idea that the only way to win with Embiid at the focal point of the offense is to surround him with as many shooters as humanly possible.
We saw great success from Seth Curry this past season during his debut year with Embiid – McCollum is a similar player, just better.
The main criticism to pursuing someone like McCollum is concerns over if he’s good enough to deliver a championship in the long run. He’s been a solid “Robin” to Lillard’s “Batman” over the past few years, but hasn’t been able to reach the NBA finals quite yet.
McCollum is also more of a scoring two-guard as opposed to a true point guard. Not that that’s a huge issue one way or the other, but it’s not as seamless of a fit as the before mentioned Lillard.
With McCollum, there’s a half decent chance that Portland would accept Simmons outright in a trade, which would obviously be ideal for Morey and the Sixers. Lillard is upset – one way to keep him happy is bringing in new, All-Star caliber faces.
Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
My personal favorite on this list, Zach LaVine feels like the perfect offseason target for the Philadelphia 76ers. Another player who fans have been infatuated with for quite some time now, LaVine appears to be entering his basketball-playing prime, and is in danger of wasting it away on a lackluster Bulls team.
LaVine averaged 27.4 points per game this past season while shooting 41.9% from beyond the arc, really establishing himself as one of the top scorers in the NBA. His ability to score at all three levels in particular was really impressive, and something that would translate over beautifully alongside Embiid.
LaVine can orchestrate pick and rolls and dribble hand-offs, can score in transition, and can create for himself when things get stagnate in the half court setting. The Sixers biggest offensive weakness over the past two years has been the lack of a true perimeter shot creator, which is arguably LaVine’s best trait. His insane athleticism gives him the advantage over most wing defenders.
The only hiccup in regards to LaVine is his potential lack of availability. The Bulls went all-in this past trade deadline and acquired Nikola Vucevic, which might signal their (foolish) desire to contend moving forward.
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Yet another player whom fans have been continuously hurling into the “NBA trade machine” over the past nine months, Bradley Beal is likely going to be in trade discussions a whole lot this offseason. The acquisition of Russell Westbrook failed to put the Wizards over the hump, leaving Washington in an awkward position moving forward. They’ve desperately tried to surround Beal with talent over the past few seasons, but to little avail. The Davis Bertans contract is a disaster, and recent first-round pick Deni Advija did not have a productive rookie season.
Whether they want to admit it or not, Washington should finally start listening to offers for Beal.
Similar to McCollum, you can make the argument that Beal doesn’t push the needle for Philadelphia. He has no real winning experience to his name, and has spent a majority of his career playing behind the likes of John Wall. While he’s undoubtedly taken a step forward in his development over the past few seasons, he was still pretty easily handled in the postseason by the Philadelphia 76ers themselves.
Beal isn’t the greatest of defenders or distributors, he really just relies on his scoring ability.
Hypothetically moving Simmons for Beal once again really leans into that idea that all Embiid needs is a high-scoring guard alongside him to succeed.
Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards
Keeping things in the nation’s capital, Russell Westbrook is the far less attractive guard on the Wizards likely set to be available in trade conversations this offseason. I personally have zero interest in seeing a soon-to-be 33 year old Russ suiting up for the Philadelphia 76ers next year, but there’s a relationship in place with Daryl Morey dating back to the pair’s Houston days, and Philly and DC are likely to be chatting quite a bit this summer in regards to trades.
If Washington is interested in Simmons, but won’t part ways with Beal, Westbrook could end up being the consolation prize Morey settles for.
Westbrook has a lengthy track record of high statistical production, but his fit alongside someone like Embiid would be questionable at best. Westbrook isn’t afraid to shoot the basketball, but isn’t actually all that good at it. He shot 31.5% from three this past season, which is not what the Sixers need on their roster moving forward.
It’s also worth highlighting that Embiid and Russ haven’t had the best of on-court relationships in the past. If the goal this offseason is to surround Embiid with talent and keep him happy, swapping Simmons for Westbrook doesn’t particularly accomplish that.
The only reason I’m really including Westbrook on this list is due to the in-place relationship with Daryl Morey, as he’s shown a consistency of targeting personal favorites in the past.
Malcolm Brogdon, Indiana Pacers
A player whom the Philadelphia 76ers definitely should’ve signed instead of Al Horford two offseasons back, it might be worth circling back around to Malcolm Brogdon this summer. The Pacers are coming off another disappointing season and are likely looking to shake things up moving forward, and Brogdon is a potential better fit at the point guard position alongside Embiid.
Brogdon had a bit of a “breakout” year for the Pacers this past season, averaging a career-high 21.1 points per game while also chipping in 5.9 assists per game. His ability to hit the three isn’t nearly as good as some of the aforementioned players on this list (career 38.6% shooter from beyond the arc), but he does play the game like a true point guard on most nights. Again, if Morey and the Sixers go all-in on the idea of swapping Simmons for a smaller, more ball-dominant guard, then Brogdon’s name is at least in that conversation.
Personally speaking, Brogdon falls in that McCollum/Beal/Westbrook tier of likely just not being good enough. While the fit alongside Embiid would be an improvement, it’s hard to imagine Brogdon developing enough over the next few seasons to help keep the Sixers in line with the Bucks and Nets of the world. I’d only really target Brogdon if the market for Simmons ends up being absurdly small this offseason.
D’Angelo Russell, Minnesota Timberwolves
D’Angelo Russell isn’t very good at basketball, but I guess this is just where the Sixers have gotten to as a team!
“DLo” had one standout year with the Nets a few seasons back, and hasn’t really been the same type of player since. He was average in Golden State and average during his first full season in Minnesota, but he’s a volume shooter who can handle the basketball. His ability to potentially run pick and rolls and dribble hand-offs with Embiid would be there.
If Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers can’t find a way to land any of the above mentioned players, there’s a pretty good chance that they could swap Simmons for Russell, and potentially recoup some assets back in return, giving them ammunition to make another move or two. The Timberwolves have been trying to build around Karl-Anthony Towns for quite some time now, with little to no results to show for it – they’re the type of team who would likely jump at the opportunity to land someone like Simmons, in an attempt to rebuild and retool his game.
Maybe I’m jumping the gun just a bit when it comes to Ben Simmons’ future in Philadelphia, but it definitely feels like a trade has to happen this offseason. The Sixers are quickly running out of time in regards to Embiid’s prime, and Ben himself could probably use a fresh start as well.