Philadelphia 76ers: 6 teams that should trade for Ben Simmons
By David Esser
Portland Trail Blazers
A franchise that the Philadelphia 76ers would very much like to orchestrate a trade with this offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers are in need of a major shake-up. The team has ridden out the Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum partnership as long as humanly possible, and don’t have a single Finals appearance to show for it.
Similar to the before mentioned fit alongside Curry and Thompson, Ben Simmons would pair up quite beautifully alongside the likes of either Lillard or McCollum. Both are floor-spacing guards who like to shoot a lot, which coincides nicely with Simmons’ desire to distribute when on the court.
Simmons would also take over all primary defensive duties – a weak point on the Blazers over the past few years due to the smaller stature that both Lillard and McCollum possess.
In a perfect world, the Sixers are able to net Lillard in a potential Simmons-to-Portland trade. While a Lillard departure this offseason still feels rather unlikely, intense rumors have started to swirl over the past week or so.
The consolation prize of McCollum wouldn’t be the worst thing for Philly, as it gives them a high-scoring guard to pair alongside Embiid. On Portland’s end of things, a Lillard-Simmons duo would have a fairly high ceiling.
Either way, this is a trade that should interest both parties.