The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to explore the Ben Simmons trade market this offseason. While no deal is certain — and patience is a key virtue — it’s clear the Sixers have fielded offers and will continue to do so as the NBA Draft and free agency approach.
Daryl Morey is no fool, and the Sixers will no jettison Simmons away without respectable compensation. Even with his spotty track record in the postseason, Simmons is a 24-year-old with three All-Star appearances, one All-NBA nod, two All-Defense nods, and a Rookie of the Year award on his resume. He’s not a bad contract, or a player the Sixers need to dump for pennies on the dollar.
Plenty of teams have been swirling around the rumor mill, with Golden State, Minnesota, and Portland chief among them. Hypotheticals have covered every corner of the interest, this site included.
In this article, we will rank some of the players commonly tied to Philadelphia in these hypotheticals — tiered and in order, from least desirable to ideal outcome.
Ranking Sixers’ hypothetical Ben Simmons trade targets: Thanks, but no thanks
10. Malik Beasley
The Wolves really want Ben Simmons, but it would have to be a three-team deal. Minnesota wants to keep D’Angelo Russell, there’s no way Anthony Edwards is on the table, and Karl-Anthony Towns is the franchise centerpiece. That leaves Malik Beasley, salary filler, and picks as the core of Minnesota’s offer.
Beasley is no slouch. He averaged 19.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in 37 games last season, shooting 39.9 percent on 8.7 attempts per game from deep. The Sixers would benefit from his high volume of 3-pointers, but he’s not a lead playmaker, and replacing Simmons’ ball-handling presence with Ricky Rubio doesn’t exactly excite the imagination.
While Minnesota could theoretically compile enough draft capital to pique Morey’s interest, the Sixers are trying to win a championship right now. Draft picks are great, but they don’t win games. If the Sixers can’t redirect the extra assets elsewhere for a talented lead guard, then the Wolves are simply out of luck.
9. Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton is dope, and maybe one day, this article looks stupid for underestimating him. He averaged 24.3 points on efficient shooting last season and is only 22 years old. That said, his inevitable big-money extension looms large, and there are aspects of Sexton’s game that don’t inherently translate to winning basketball.
In Cleveland, Sexton has had free reign to make mistakes and indulge in black-hole tendencies. He can be a bit of a ball-stopper, to the point where it is rumored other teams make fun of him. Sexton has not proven that he can run a team yet, and the Sixers need someone to run a team, not just score a lot of points. He would need to complement Joel Embiid, not just take up airspace in the starting five.
And, again, this could age poorly. He’s young and works his butt off. He seems like an upstanding human and a guy who wants to compete at the highest level, and he plays with the intensity of a scrappy bench piece, not a lead scorer. That said, given his inability to elevate teammates up to this point, the Sixers should probably stay away.
Ranking Sixers’ hypothetical Ben Simmons trade targets: It would take more
8. Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward experienced a renaissance of sorts in Charlotte last season, but he’s still a wing, not a point guard. The Sixers really need an elite perimeter creator to take this offense to the next level, and even if Charlotte were to incorporate Terry Rozier into a trade, that doesn’t really solve Philadelphia’s core problems.
Last season, Hayward averaged 19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. He’s the ideal complementary star on paper — a versatile defender and ancillary playmaker who can move the ball, get to his spots as a scorer, and hit 41.5 percent of his 3s. He would do no small amount of good in Philadelphia, but with Simmons on the way out, it would take more — it would take, at the very least, another high-level player on the perimeter who can play the role of table-setter for a Philadelphia offense in desperate need of stability at point guard.
Hayward is a top-50 NBA player who still has enough juice to contribute on a contender. He fits, no doubt. But he alone is not enough, and that’s especially true when to factor in his troubling injury history.
7. Malcolm Brogdon
The Sixers have reportedly turned down an offer of Malcolm Brogdon and a first-round pick from Indiana. He slides into this tier rather comfortably. Brogdon is a hand-in-glove fit on paper, and he would give Philadelphia a much more reliable presence late in games. That said, he alone is — you guessed it — not enough.
Brogdon is a bulky 6-foot-5 guard, and he’s no pushover on defense. He can battle bigger players on switches and help Philadelphia preserve some of its defensive versatility. That said, he’s a sizable step back from Simmons, and he’s not the most dynamic on-ball creator this list has to offer.
The 28-year-old averaged 21.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists last season, hitting 38.8 percent of his 3s. He would improve the Sixers’ offense considerably, especially down the stretch, but Simmons is much younger and has more accolades on his resume. The Pacers would need to propose a stronger offer.
Ranking Sixers’ hypothetical Ben Simmons trade targets: Swap ’em
6. De’Aaron Fox
The Kings are probably in no rush to trade De’Aaron Fox, but when presented with everything Simmons offers — accolades, defense, comparable transition playmaking — Sacramento could be tempted to consider a swap. At this point on the list, we have reached players who could be reasonably swapped one-for-one.
Simmons is still a tier above Fox in a vacuum, and would have no trouble fitting next to Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield in Sacramento’s backcourt. He would give the Kings a much-needed foundation on defense, while still allowing Luke Walton to get out in transition and run the floor.
For the Sixers, Fox is simply a better fit on paper. He can create his own looks, and is a jitter-bug creator with far more juice than Simmons in a halfcourt setting. At just 23 years old, Fox averaged 25.2 points and 7.2 assists last season. He’s only hit 32.2 percent of his 3s last season, but attempted 5.5 per game, which is enough to command the defense’s respect from distance.
5. CJ McCollum
Injuries are a concern with CJ McCollum, but he’s a truly gifted scorer who would elevate the Sixers’ halfcourt offense in a big way. Last season, he averaged 23.2 points and 4.7 assists on 40.2 percent shooting from deep. He’s a slippery ball-handler with shot-making prowess Philly fans have clamored for ever since Embiid’s first postseason defeat.
McCollum would give the Sixers a heavy dose of 3s along with more playmaking juice than his bare numbers suggest. Damian Lillard commands a lot of airspace offensively. There’s reason to believe that, when more or less handed the keys to Philadelphia’s offense, McCollum could show even more layers to his game.
That said, Simmons is five years younger and has a much longer list of NBA accomplishments. The Sixers will probably not get equal or superior talent without attaching picks. McCollum does suitably improve the halfcourt offense, though, and the Blazers need a big swing or two to appease Damian Lillard. Simmons would fit quite well in Portland.
Ranking Sixers’ hypothetical Ben Simmons trade targets: Quick yes
4. Zach LaVine
A breakout 2021 season earned Zach LaVine his first All-Star berth, and put him firmly on the radar of every Sixers fan. Frankly, Simmons’ value may have plummeted to a point where the Sixers would need to attach assets to pull LaVine away from Chicago. Whether or not that’s the case, he’s certainly one of the better imaginable outcomes for Philadelphia.
As the Bulls’ heart and soul, LaVine averaged 27.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.9 assists last season. He hit 41.9 percent of his 8.2 attempts per game from 3, and shot over 50 percent from the field. He’s a bonafide go-to option, and would have no trouble forming a dynamic two-man tandem with Embiid.
The elephant in the room with LaVine, similar to McCollum, is defense. He also has a torn ACL on his resume. That said, LaVine is only 26 and has even more room to grow. He may not be a point guard by trade, but he took a major step forward as a playmaker last season. LaVine looked the part of not only a great scorer, but a great scorer who can involve and elevate teammates. He should be on the Sixers’ to-do list if he’s available.
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
This gets a bit tricky, as it would likely require Ben Simmons going to a third team, or OKC operating with the intention of trading Simmons again once he recoups more value next season. Even so, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an absolute idealistic outcome for the Sixers.
Gilgeous-Alexander is younger than Simmons, and a comparable, if not outright better player. He was stuck in the mud with OKC’s rebuild last season, but still averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. He hit 50.8 percent of his shots and 41.8 percent of his 3s. He not a shabby defender at 6-foot-6, and would help Philadelphia maintain some of its edge size-wise.
While LaVine is probably the better player right now, Gilgeous-Alexander is not far off, and he comes with a better contract situation and more long-term flexibility. He is more than capable of helping Embiid steer the ship late in games, and he’s big enough to share the floor with another star guard if Philadelphia can make subsequent moves.
Ranking Sixers’ hypothetical Ben Simmons trade targets: Move heaven and earth
2. Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal is one of the most gifted scorers in recent NBA history. Last season, he averaged 31.3 points, which fell just shy of Stephen Curry for the league scoring title. It would have been his second in a row. Beal can fill it up like very few others, and is probably a top-20 player. The Wizards have shown no inclination to trade him, but Washington also has no path to contention. It’s no unreasonable to expect a trade request at some point. It just may or may not align with the Ben Simmons sweepstakes.
If the Wizards trade Beal, there aren’t too many better building blocks than Simmons. Other teams would pursue him hard, and perhaps Simmons is no longer enough after his epic second-round collapse. That said, Morey is a clever deal-maker. The Wizards haven’t had a good defense in a while, and Simmons would put them on the right track.
A big potential drawback for Washington is the inevitable time spent with Simmons and Russell Westbrook on the court together. The Wizards won’t be able to trade Westbrook without attaching assets, and while a Beal trade would give them plenty of extra picks, odds are Westbrook will stick around until at least 2022-23, the final year on his contract.
If the Sixers can use Simmons, the young guns (Thybulle, Maxey), and picks to pry Beal away from Washington, it’s a no-brainer. He’s too talented a scorer not to thrive as Embiid’s partner in crime. Unfortunately, the Sixers are facing an uphill battle in this pursuit.
Ranking Sixers’ hypothetical Ben Simmons trade targets: Top of the mountain
1. Damian Lillard
Look, this goes without saying. If the Sixers can get Damian Lillard — and that’s one heck of an if — the trigger must be pulled. Trade Simmons, trade Thybulle, trade Maxey, trade every pick this side of 2030. If you can pair Embiid and Lillard, two top-10 players in the winnable Eastern Conference, you do it. You have to maximize Embiid’s window while it’s still open.
Lillard is the most dynamic shooter in the NBA, save for Seth Curry’s brother in Golden State. He would stretch defenses to the breaking point, while Embiid assaults them in the paint. Once upon a time, the Embiid-Redick two-man game stood as one of the best offensive actions in basketball. The Embiid-Lillard two-man game would break physics.
Last season, the 30-year-old averaged 28.8 points and 7.5 assists. He shot 39.1 percent on 10.5 attempts per game from deep. The Blazers have failed Lillard year after year, as have the Sixers with Embiid. If Philadelphia has the chance to do right by both of them, it would be a true franchise turning point — and the closest thing to a championship favorite the Sixers have fielded since the 80s.
Brooklyn looms large in the East, and there’s never a guarantee — especially with Embiid’s health — but you have to push all your chips in when afforded the opportunity. Embiid stands among the pantheon of all-time Philadelphia athletes already. The Sixers need to do whatever it takes to deliver him a true chance at a title. Lillard is a pipe dream of a fit.