Sixers’ top realistic Ben Simmons trade target from Raptors: Fred VanVleet
Feel free to pitch Pascal Siakam here, and the case is strong, but if the Sixers want to move on from Simmons, it has to be for meaningful dynamism on the perimeter. Siakam can shoot and score better than Simmons, and he’s quite the nifty defender at power forward, but the Sixers need table-setters. Fred VanVleet more cleanly.
Last season was not a banner year for VanVleet, who answered his new extension with a troublesome 38.9 field goal percentage. The 6-foot-1 guard struggled to lead the offense efficiently, especially with Kyle Lowry missing time to injury. Being away from Toronto all season clearly didn’t help anyone of that team either.
Given the oddity of the circumstances, it’s fair to write off 2021 as an aberration for VanVleet, who not long ago played a key role in the Raptors’ championship run. He still averaged 19.6 points and 6.3 assists, with a respectable 36.6 percent clip on 9.2 attempts per game from 3-point land. He would shift the chemistry of Philadelphia’s halfcourt offense in a good way.
VanVleet has spent much of the past few years sharing the court with Lowry. How he would operate as the Sixers’ main perimeter creator is something to consider and hypothesize about. In the end, he would still get plenty of opportunities off-ball, acting as a deep-range threat while Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris work from the middle of the floor. He’s the name to watch if the Raptors really want Simmons.