Philadelphia 76ers cannot trade Ben Simmons after this season

After Ben Simmons re-aggravated his back injury against the Milwaukee Bucks, concerns about the Philadelphia 76ers began to surface.

Since the beginning of January, the question whether Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons can coexist together on the same team has heated up. During that same time, Embiid suffered a grueling hand injury which kept him out nearly the whole month.

While Embiid was out, Simmons was more than holding down the fort as he led the Philadelphia 76ers to wins over the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets, all in playoff contention.

In the games that Simmons has been out, the Phladelphia 76ers lost to the Denver Nuggets, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Cleveland Cavaliers, arguably the worst team in basketball.

While both players play better with the other off the court, it is Simmons that runs the show while giving the Philadelphia 76ers an identity on both the offensive and defensive ends. Not only did he go toe-to-toe with LeBron James, he gave fans a glimpse of what the future could look like with a team built around his capabilities.

As Max Kellerman of ESPN suggests, Simmons is capable of putting up Giannis Antetokounmpo-type stats with the right team built around him. Since he is hesitant to shoot, putting more shooters around him is ideal. Al Horford might not be one of those shooters, as he has struggled as of late. On the flip side, Furkan Korkmaz, who is coming into his own as of late from beyond the arc, is one of Simmons’ favorite targets.

Simmons doesn’t shoot threes — we know that. He does, however, lead the NBA in assisted three-pointers made since entering the league, according to Kirk Goldsberry.

I’m not saying that the Sixers can’t win without Simmons, as Shake Milton filled the stat sheet against the Knicks with 19 points and four assists and a career-high 39 points against the Clippers. This is by no means a trade Embiid campaign either. If coach Brett Brown isn’t the answer, then perhaps another coach can tap into the strengths of both All-Star players.

Regardless, a Swiss army knife player who can do it all like Simmons is hard to find in  and trading him would be a mistake.