Philadelphia 76ers: 3 Ben Simmons trades worth hoping for

The Philadelphia 76ers get it right with the wrong Blazer.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had their heart set on a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers for quite some time. Unfortunately, the apple of their eye is nowhere to be found in this trade.

While Damian Lillard has been the number one target for Daryl Morey, the odds of a Lillard to Sixers trade seem to be lower each and every day. At a certain point, does Morey settle for the Robin to Lillard’s Batman?

CJ McCollum isn’t just some consolation prize. Had he been in the eastern conference instead of the west over his career, he would have at least two or three All-Star appearances on his resume.

Of all the players not named Bradley Beal or Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum is the most talented player who’s been connected to Simmons. His fit next to Joel Embiid is fantastic, and he would be able to remove so much pressure from Embiid at the end of games.

His ability to shoot is an obvious plus for the Sixers, but it’s his ball-handling that sets this deal apart from others, say, for a Buddy Hield-type.

Though he is the Blazers starting shooting guard, he was also effectively the team’s backup point guard. In each of the past two seasons, McCollum has seen a career-high in assists per game, most recently finishing last season averaging 4.7 per game.

The Sixers would still be wise to hunt for a veteran point guard, but the addition of McCollum would allow the Sixers to be patient in that search.

The additions of Robert Covington and Nassir Little can’t be overstated, as well as they’re both sizable athletic defenders. The Sixers are missing bigger body wing defenders (minus Simmons) and will need players to fill that role as they play the likes of Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown in their own division.

Simmons, Curry, and Shake are admittedly a lot to give up. Still, Curry would be a bit redundant with McCollum in town, and the reward is easily worth the risk.