Philadelphia 76ers: A hard pass on Ben Simmons-for-D’Angelo Russell
The Warriors might have an eye on Ben Simmons. The Philadelphia 76ers should steer clear.
In a recent article waxing poetic on the Golden State Warriors’ roster situation in advance of Feb. 8’s trade deadline, The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II unexpectedly roped the Philadelphia 76ers into the conversation — in a big, big way.
According to Thompson ($), some believe Ben Simmons is the best possible return in a potential D’Angelo Russell trade. While Thompson also mentioned the Warriors’ skepticism about a Ben Simmons-Draymond Green fit, the concept of a Russell-Simmons swap is on the table.
The Sixers should have zero interest.
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Simmons has been a hot-button topic in Sixersland of late, though I’m not sure that’s a new or notable development. He’s polarizing. So polarizing, in fact, even the old heads yell at him to shoot more threes — the same old heads who fondly reminisce about the days of toxic relationships, football tackles, and tripled-teamed fadeaways.
Some fervently believe the Sixers will never make Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons work. The two are polar opposites, only in this particular case, opposites don’t attract. Embiid needs a clean paint to post up. Simmons is married to the dunker’s spot and allergic to non-painted hardwood floor.
I, however, believe the opposite. Even in Simmons’ current state of many, many flaws, he’s a top-25 player. He’s an all-world defender, a one-percent athlete, and an invaluable member of Philadelphia’s clunky title pursuit.
The Sixers don’t need to maximize Simmons and Embiid individually, they just have to work well enough together. Even if Simmons and Embiid impose limitations on one another, it might not matter. Not if Philadelphia builds a strong enough roster around them.
Which brings us back to Russell, a delightful scoring guard who I find myself higher on than most. He’s good! Real good! Russell is a long-range bomber, a pick-and-roll maestro, and a talented facilitator who deserves more credit for his passing acumen. He fits better than Simmons, sure.
The issue here, beyond Simmons’ flat-out superiority, is defense. Simmons is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. A 6-foot-10 freight train who can slide with Chris Paul, body Pascal Siakam, and stonewall LeBron James. He put D’Lo in a lockbox last postseason, for good measure.
Where Russell is a liability, Simmons is elite. Not to mention Simmons’ constant presence on the offensive glass, his dominance in transition, and his proven effectiveness next to Embiid. That’s right, the Sixers have been good in the past, even with Simmons and Embiid together.
For most of the past two and a half seasons, Philadelphia has maintained the most statistically productive starting five in basketball. Embiid and Simmons are the constants — two forces of nature who, despite contradictive styles and a tame off-court relationship, work effectively in unison.
The Sixers don’t need to fit perfectly. It’s not about making Embiid or Simmons look as good individually as possible. It’s about winning the most basketball games, however pretty or not pretty the regular season looks. At this moment in time, Simmons has a much greater impact on winning than Russell, even in a lineup not tailored to his personal benefit.
Next. Sixers should look into CP3. dark
Philadelphia should have interest in Russell, because he does fix a lot of holes — maybe Al Horford and picks would peak the interest of a soon-to-be contender short on centers. Simmons is not Al Horford.