Getty Eric Gordon, Rockets
When it comes to Ben Simmons NBA trade ideas, we can probably guess where Sixers team president Daryl Morey would file this latest one from Bleacher Report. Morey, of course, is holding out on dealing away Simmons because he wants to star player in return and, as Sam Amick of The Athletic reported, he has a list of 30 names he’d be willing to take back in a swap for Simmons.
None of the names put forth by Greg Swartz of B/R in his column about potential trades for contenders are anywhere near the Morey list. But let’s give the deal a sounding-out anyway:
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: G/F Eric Gordon, F Danuel House Jr., PG D.J. Augustin, 2023 first-round pick (via Milwaukee Bucks), 2025 first-round pick (top-three-protected)
Houston Rockets Receive: PG Ben Simmons, SG Isaiah Joe, PF Charles Bassey
The appeal of the deal for the Sixers is added depth around a team that has found a new center of perimeter-based gravity to go alongside star big man Joel Embiid—Tyrese Maxey.
Rather than bring in a replacement star for Simmons, this approach both acknowledges that the Sixers are trying to trade a dented can in Simmons and does the best it can within that parameter, giving the Sixers added pieces for a bench that could use some tinkering.
Sixers Take Old Role Players for Simmons?
Here’s how Swartz saw the selling points of the deal:
Gordon (13.1 points, 42.3 percent from three) would be a strong rotation member who has a good salary-matching contract ($18.2 million). House is a good wing defender who’s hit 38.1 percent of his threes this year and Augustin gives Philly another ball-handler with Simmons gone. The Sixers also collect a pair of first-round picks from Houston that they can use in a future trade.
All that is true, at best. But Gordon is also tremendously injury-prone and has played just 63 games in the past two seasons. He turns 34 on Christmas. Augustin is also 34 and shooting all of 38.3% from the field this season. It’s hard to see how much reliability the Sixers would get from those two.
House, meanwhile, can defend, but is inconsistent as a 3-point shooter and is likely a bit repetitive with Matisse Thybulle on hand. The two draft picks, though? Those could be very useful as the Sixers look to find ways to bolster their lineup.
Simmons Seen Working Out at the Center
All in all, if Morey is stubborn about holding onto Simmons until the perfect deal presents itself, then there’s no way he would go in for something like this—picks and back-end rotation players. That could change, but even if it does, you’d think the Sixers could get more for Simmons, especially when Bassey and Joe are included.
Here’s a video of Ben Simmons working out earlier today at the Wells Fargo Center.
It all could depend, too, on whether Simmons actually steps foot on the Sixers’ floor this season—in uniform. Eyebrows were raised this weekend when video appeared showing Simmons working out at the Center before the team’s loss on Sunday.
If Simmons does take the floor for the Sixers, it would go along way toward bolstering his trade value, and render potential deals with Gordon as the headliner moot.