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In perhaps their latest attempt to move on from the thought-to-be franchise point guard Ben Simmons, the Philadelphia 76ers reportedly made quite the offer to a possible trade partner in the Toronto Raptors.
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According to Matt Moore of The Action Network, the Raptors recently rejected a wild, massive trade offer from the Sixers that had a “proposed framework” of Ben Simmons heading north in exchange for Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and the fourth overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft.
“Multiple sources confirmed Sunday that the Toronto Raptors have emerged as a team with ‘significant’ interest in Simmons. One source close to talks said discussions have not been substantial as of yet,” Moore wrote Monday night. “The Sixers want [Bradley] Beal, the [Washington] Wizards want rebuilding assets. The Raptors, to some degree, want Simmons. The Sixers have Simmons, the Wizards have Beal.
The Raptors have the No. 4 pick.
Is there a three-way framework to be found?”
Whether or not things have gotten far on the trade front between the Sixers and Raptors remains to be seen, but it appears to be a near-consensus that Toronto would have had to be insane to consider Philly’s offer, even if it was just a “proposed framework”.
Sixers and Raptors Nation Go Nuts on Social Media
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GettyKawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors celebrates with teammates after sinking a buzzer beater to win Game Seven of the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s clear that the Sixers are in “win-now” mode, with our without Simmons on the team. Despite winning it all just two seasons ago, Toronto is going in the direction of a full rebuild.
Even so, giving up Lowry, VanVleet, and Anunoby – three of the team’s top-six scorers from last season – plus the fourth overall pick, would have been a wild move, and people have already taken to Twitter to express their opinions.
To reiterate, this offer had Simmons – yes, a defensive stud, playmaker and three-time All-Star, but a flawed one at that – in exchange for three Raptors starters, two of whom are under 27 years old – AND a top-five pick. It was a bold try indeed from Daryl Morey.
Sixers Will Have to Find Middle Ground to Trade Simmons
GettyPhiladelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons and Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry during a game in May 2019.
So, with this latest try at shipping out Simmons going nowhere, what do the Sixers do next? Notably, this proposed deal with Toronto was already the second offer involving Simmons that has been rejected.
The first one, turned down by the Sixers, saw the Indiana Pacers offering Malcolm Brogdon and a first-round pick and was reported earlier this month. That early in the team’s off-season, it was probably wise for Philadelphia not to jump on that attempt from Indiana.
The offer to Toronto was obviously ill-advised though and in order to move Simmons there’s going to have be some kind of middle ground met. Many Sixers fans would agree that they’d like at least one All-Star caliber player coming back if they ship off Simmons, and they shouldn’t budge on that.
Age should also be a factor when the Sixers are considering what they get in exchange for the Australian. One of the biggest things to remember with Simmons is that he only just turned 25, and with multiple areas of his game that are already elite, he should still have a lengthy NBA career ahead of him.
If the Indiana rejection was strike one, and the Toronto offer was strike two, maybe the next Ben Simmons trade proposal will prove that the third time is the charm.
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