Philadelphia 76ers: 2 new teams are reportedly interested in Ben Simmons

Which teams are interested in trading for Ben Simmons?

This question has been a hot topic in the City of Brotherly Love over the past few weeks, and, for the most part, the “big names” haven’t changed all that much. From Portland to Indiana, Cleveland, Sacramento, and Minnesota, while the occasional “surprise” suitor has emerged like Boston and New Orleans, these five teams – plus the Golden State Warriors – have largely remained in the mix to secure the services of the three-time All-Star point guard or small forward, or small-ball center, depending on your preference.

Could one of these five teams ultimately win this weird, very uncomfortable lottery? Potentially so, either via a straight-up swap, an asset-latent deal, or expanded out into a three-plus teamer, but according to The Athletics’ Shams Charania, there are two more teams presently in the mix to make a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, both of whom are real head-scratchers.

The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, come on down.

The Philadelphia 76ers have some unique trade options on the table.

Alright, alright, alright, so right from the jump, let’s get this out of the way; LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and most likely Julius Randle are off the table when it comes to trade conversations.

The first two are fairly obvious. James is basically the Lakers’ on-court GM, and Davis is viewed as the future face of the gold and purple franchise. While Simmons could conceivably fill that role if he learns to shoot a 3, it’s hard to imagine him ever surpassing Davis, even in his current, less engaged state.

But what about Randle? Well, because he didn’t sign his extension until August 5th, he isn’t eligible to be traded until February 3rd, according to Hoops Rumors. Granted, the Philadelphia 76ers could still make a move for Randle if they want, as the trade deadline isn’t until February 10th, but still, it’s hard to imagine Daryl Morey waiting some 40-plus days to make a deal, regardless of what he said on sports radio a few months back.

Sidebar: Could Julius Randle and Joel Embiid fit together on the court? I mean, I guess so, but having Randle headline a deal for Simmons would be a pretty underwhelming allocation of resources considering the team’s current needs.

Alright, so if those three players are effectively off the board, who could the Lakers and the Knicks offer up to bring back Ben? Well, the two biggest names worthy of consideration are Russell Westbrook and RJ Barrett, two players at very different points in their careers that have very different sets of skills.

To land Simmons, the Lakers would all but surely have to trade Westbrook, as they don’t have enough matching salary to legally make a deal work. While such a deal wouldn’t be one-for-one, as the Sixers would likely ask for Talen Horton-Tucker and/or Malik Monk back in a deal, because Westbrook makes $11.2 million more than Simmons, the Sixers would have to surrender an additional $2.8 million just to make a deal legal, without taking back any other contracts.

Factor in the Lakers’ lack of tradeable picks, and it’s very tricky to find a deal the Sixers would actually agree to, especially if Daryl Morey’s time with Westbrook back in Houston soured his opinion on the player.

Sidebar II: Could Russell Westbrook and Joel Embiid fit together on the court? I mean, I guess so, but having Randle headline a deal for Simmons would be a pretty underwhelming allocation of resources considering the team’s current needs.

And how about the New York Knicks? Well, of the possible non-Anthony Davis/LeBron James players available in a potential deal, Barrett might actually be the best option, as he’s a bigger shooting guard who has a good stroke from 3 and the potential to keep getting better. Is Barrett a perfect player? No. He has a bad habit of driving to the left, isn’t much of a passer, and has yet to become even an average NBA defender, but at six months shy of 22, there’s still plenty of room to grow for the player affectionately known as “The Maple Mamba.”

Barrett is also an alumnus of Duke University, which doesn’t particularly matter in the grand scheme of things but would surely make Alaa Abdelnaby happy, which is always nice.

Even if Barrett isn’t as good as Simmons today, he’s also a former top-3 pick and would generate some good PR, even if more than a few fans would tweet “Lol L” to such a deal.

To make a deal for Barrett legal, the Sixers would all but surely have to bring back Evan Fournier, and either Kemba Walker, Alec Burks, or Derrick Rose, all of whom make between $8.5 million and $13.4 million. Do any of these role players really swing the scales one way or another for the Sixers? That, I guess, could be the deciding factor in a trade, assuming Barrett is one of the 25 players on Morey’s list.

Do either the New York Knicks or the Los Angeles Lakers really make sense as trade destinations for Ben Simmons? No, not really. While the Knicks’ package is notably more intriguing than anything the Lakers can put together, it still falls short of what the Pelicans, Kings, Blazers, and Cavs can offer up in exchange. Still, it’s always fun to see the market develop for the Philadelphia 76ers’ biggest trade chip, as hopefully, it means we’ll be done with this situation in the not too distant future.