Sixers: Surprise Ben Simmons trade concepts

Theoretical Ben Simmons trades are the talk of the Philadelphia 76ers’ fan base right now, and for good reason.

As good as he’s been at times, Simmons had an abysmal offensive series against the Atlanta Hawks and lots of fans saw him passing up a wide open dunk as the last straw with this team. After scoring 14 points per game through the regular season, he averaged under 10 a game against Atlanta and only took three shots in the fourth quarter throughout the series. He seemed even more timid than usual and was trying to avoid contact out of fear of going to the foul line.

Ben Simmons seems as good as gone from the Sixers.

Since Doc Rivers offered him lukewarm support after their loss, trade machines the world over have been getting bombarded with hypothetical Ben Simmons destinations. The 76ers’ championship window is open right now, and if Simmons can’t figure out his offensive woes this summer then the team will have to move in another direction.

The difficult part is evaluating his value after a very tumultuous season. As bad as he has been offensively, he’s still only 24 years old and is coming off of his third All-Star season and his second All-Defensive season. In the right situation he could still grow into a top 10 player, but the 76ers don’t have time to wait for Simmons to develop his offensive game any longer.

Earlier this week I detailed three possible trades that I considered realistic, which made sense for both sides and involved swapping stars. Here I’ll explore some trades that might not seem obvious to everyone, but make enough sense for both sides that they wouldn’t shock me.