The Philadelphia 76ers have a long summer ahead, with many changes on the horizon. One such change is the seemingly inevitable departure of Ben Simmons. While no move is guaranteed — at least not in the short term — it’s hard to imagine the Sixers sticking with Simmons for another playoff run. His second-round collapse has left Daryl Morey between a rock and a hard place.
Obviously, the ideal outcome in the forthcoming Simmons sweepstakes is a Damian Lillard trade demand. If the Sixers can swap Simmons and pieces for Lillard, then the offense takes a giant-sized step in the right direction, and Joel Embiid no longer has to carry heaven and earth on a wobbly knee.
If Lillard does not materialize, however, the Sixers will need to look elsewhere for value. Simmons still has avid suitors, and a hypothetical trade will bring about a decent return for Philadelphia. The Sixers may not get a better player outright, but they can at least expect an All-Star caliber piece in return, with a cleaner fit and extra incentives interwoven.
The Pacers, Warriors, and Timberwolves have all been thrown around, with Portland firmly on the radar even if Lillard doesn’t ask out. That said, another team to watch is Oklahoma City. The Sixers should look to capitalize on any team’s folly if there’s potential for an upgrade. And, as luck would have, recent speculation has brought into question the future of 22-year-old stud Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in OKC.
Enter, Daryl Morey.
The Sixers should make a concerted effort to acquire Shai Gilgeous-Alexander if OKC desires a change.
Now, look — if OKC does trade Gilgeous-Alexander, it will be with an even more aggressive rebuild in mind. Gilgeous-Alexander is only 22 and he’s a tremendously gifted basketball player. Swapping him for the older Ben Simmons, who can also help the Thunder win basketball games at a pace unbecoming of Tankathon religiosity, would not exactly fit OKC’s timeline.
The Sixers would therefore need to get creative. A third team, perhaps. We have shared a great many three-team hypotheticals on this site, and a potential Gilgeous-Alexander trade would likely require such a maneuver. That is, unless OKC is willing to take two or three first-round picks straight up, in which case the Sixers should jump at the opportunity and take the top-40 player afforded to them.
Plainly speaking, a Gilgeous-Alexander trade would be borderline inexplicable from OKC’s perspective. But, if we’re to follow in the footsteps of ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, the Thunder may fall victim to too much patience in a rebuild.
In 35 games last season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on 50.8 percent shooting from the field and 41.8 percent from 3-point range.