5 teams that should trade for Ben Simmons: Houston Rockets
No one feels better than the Houston Rockets, who spent all season taking criticism for the decision not to swap James Harden and Ben Simmons. If you were to ask most people what they’d take now — Simmons and pieces, or four first-round picks with four pick swaps — most would probably pick the latter.
Even so, the Rockets should not shy away from Ben Simmons now. If the price is low enough, there’s no reason not to pitch an offer. Simmons is, again, a perennial All-Star at 24 years old. He has time to improve, and some teams will think they’re the team to make him do it. Houston can invest in Simmons as a true cornerstone and see what it looks like with him in a true starring role.
The Rockets have less to trade for Simmons than even OKC. Houston would not dare give up the No. 2 pick, nor would the likes of Kelly Olynyk or Christian Wood carry much water in Philadelphia. It would have to be a package based around Kevin Porter Jr. and future picks. Probably not enough in the end, but no one can correctly gauge Simmons’ value at this point. It’s worth a shot.
Houston would have bigs who can stretch the floor, and plenty of decent shooters on the perimeter. Simmons would have every bit of freedom he had in Philadelphia early on (perhaps not ideal, but interesting) and a chance to set the tempo on both sides of the ball. Some will say Simmons needs to take on a smaller offensive role. The Rockets would need to bet on him thriving in an even bigger one.