Another day, another Ben Simmons trade proposal — such is the life of a Philadelphia 76ers fan these days. The same could probably be said for members of the team’s front office, too, as president of basketball operations Daryl Morey considers his options with Philly’s embattled floor general.
Regardless of what happens with the three-time All-Star, though, the Sixers need to take stock of their entire roster. Even before Simmons’ struggles bubbled to the surface in a big, bad way during the playoffs, the prevailing thought was that the team could use another backcourt playmaker.
Hence its trade-deadline pursuit of Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry.
Here is one proposed trade that would bring Philly just that. And while the Sixers wouldn’t be getting Lowry in the deal, they would get a career 17-point scorer who is almost three years younger than the North Philly native.
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On Friday, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale added to the offseason discussion by floating a hypothetical trade for all of the NBA’s 30 teams. Where the Sixers are concerned, this is the move he came up with:
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Philadelphia 76ers receive Eric Gordon from the Houston Rockets.
- The Rockets get George Hill, Mike Scott (via sign-and-trade) and a 2023 second-round pick (the most favorable from Atlanta, Brooklyn and Charlotte).
So, why would the Sixers move Hill just a handful of months after using assets to acquire him? Favale gives the following explanation for Philly:
“Eric Gordon is not the name most Sixers fans will want to hear. He is guaranteed $37.6 million over the next two seasons and missed most of last year with left knee and right groin issues.
Still, he should be gettable without conceding core assets. The Rockets have little need for a high-priced 32-year-old this early into their rebuild, and he addresses some of what ails Philly. His familiarity jacking ultra-long threes will open up pockets of space, and he shot 58.2 percent on drives last season”
He further noted that he made the decision to forgo a Simmons trade because he believes the former No. 1 overall pick’s trade value has lessened:
“From the Sixers’ perspective, though, now isn’t the ideal time to work the phones on Simmons. His value is at its nadir following a postseason vanishing act against the Atlanta Hawks. They’re better off trying to buoy his value ahead of the trade deadline rather than accepting what would’ve been considered no-go proposals last summer.”
Even so, Favale maintains that the Sixers need to be active after their season crashed and burned in the second round to a lower playoff seed. Whether an oft-injured, 32-year-old volume shooter on a long-term deal is the answer is up for debate.
As for Houston’s motivation in a Gordon trade, he cited the team’s ability to get off of Gordon’s contract.
The Simmons Deal
While Favale doesn’t think a Simmons trade would be in Philly’s best interest at this juncture, he couldn’t say the same for the Portland Trail Blazers. This was his proposal for Damian Lillard’s crew:
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Portland Trail Blazers get Ben Simmons and Anthony Tolliver.
- The Sixers get CJ McCollum and Robert Covington.
Different iterations of a CJ McCollum trade have been making their way around the hoops blogosphere for weeks now. Really, though, getting McCollum could be Morey’s best move if it’s a legitimate possibility and he wants to move on from Simmons.
McCollum, 29, has averaged 20-plus points per contest in each of the last six seasons and is a career 39.8% three-point shooter.
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