Sixers: Surprise Ben Simmons trade concepts

Surprise Ben Simmons trades: Sixers acquire Malcolm Brogdon

This is my favorite Ben Simmons trade, because it would be such a shock but probably makes both teams better. Indiana, on paper, is one of the more talented teams in the league, with high end talent all over the lineup in Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, and T.J. Warren. As good as their players are, it hasn’t translated to wins and the franchise finished under .500 for the first time since 2014-15. Amidst reports of locker room turmoil, trade requests, and elective surgeries, it’s clear that Indiana needs to change something up this offseason. This trade would be a great place to start.

The real question here is whether Brogdon is the right person to move. Certainly he would be the ideal target for Philly, who could absolutely use the shot creation and shooting he provides. The Pacers need to decide if the problem is their defense or their logjam at center. Either way, the Pacers would still have enough shooting around Simmons for him to be successful, and he would solve their biggest issue which is perimeter defense.

Brogdon is a great fit on this Sixers team as a smart, savvy ball handler. He also scored over 21 points per game last season to go along with his six assists and five rebounds, and he’s an underrated defender. With two years and $44 million left on his contract, he’s a great value, and Jeremy Lamb would have to be included in order to make the salaries match (assuming Indiana wants to keep T.J. Warren), but that’s not the worst thing for Philly. Lamb is going to be an expiring contract worth $10.5 million which can easily be flipped into a solid roleplayer by tacking on a young player or pick.

Someone please get in Morey’s ear and convince him to make this trade happen.