Sixers: 3 possible Ben Simmons trades with Miami Heat

A lot of Ben Simmons chatter hit the newswire yesterday, but none so shocking as the list of most likely destinations from The Athletic’s Sam Amick. Three teams were named — Toronto (yeah, yeah, we get it), Washington (yeah, of course, Beal, duh!)…. and the Miami Heat. Like most people, my general reaction was, uh, what? 

The Heat are a borderline contender openly in search of another star. That said, Jimmy Butler is Miami’s number one man. When he last shared the court with Ben Simmons in Philadelphia, the two were not exactly peas in a pod. There has been plenty of speculation as to Simmons’ role in Butler’s ultimate departure for Miami.

To make the rumor even more confounding, Miami’s next guy in line is Bam Adebayo, a hyper-versatile defensive center who cannot shoot a lick from 3-point range. Combine that with Butler, a famously selective 3-point shooter, and the Heat would hypothetically have three non-shooters taking up $100 million in cap space each season. That is, of course, assuming Miami even has the assets to acquire Simmons.

Let us try to figure out this doozy of a Sixers trade rumor that doesn’t make a lot of sense… unless it does.

Sixers’ possible Ben Simmons trades with Miami Heat: Jimmy that jumper

Look, I do not care one bit if the Sixers should trade Ben Simmons for Jimmy Butler. It has to happen. For Joel, for the culture, and for the limitless potential on that godforsaken internet we spend so much time on. The tweets would fly, and there is no funnier/more poetically ironic end to the Ben Simmons story than shipping him to Miami to reunite Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid.

I am not sure Miami would give up Butler, who is the superior talent, but on the flip side, can Miami have any confidence in a Butler-Simmons pairing given the history? Erik Spoelstra is not Brett Brown, and Butler’s biggest issue in Philadelphia was clearly management, but one cannot discount all the noise surrounding Butler’s relationship with Simmons and their polar-opposite personalities. If the Heat are in on Simmons, it’s hard to imagine it being a Butler-endorsed pursuit.

Let’s say Miami is open to swapping Butler and Simmons. The Heat are a tier below the real Eastern Conference contenders, and Simmons is six years younger. He also has four guaranteed years on his contract, while Butler can hit free agency next summer.

Simmons makes Miami a younger team without tanking the present. He doesn’t really fit with Bam Adebayo offensively, but the defense would be glorious. Seth Curry would also give Miami an affordable replacement (or backup) for Duncan Robinson, who is set to enter restricted free agency. The Heat are big-move makers and have never been afraid of a splashy trade. Simmons still has a lot of value, and Philadelphia throws in a first-round pick to kickstart Miami’s sudden youth movement.

The appeal of Jimmy in Philadelphia needs no explanation. No player has gotten the Sixers closer to true title contention since the 80s, save for Allen Iverson in 2001. Don’t let the second-round exit fool you. If that Kawhi double-decker-doinker doinks one more time, we might be talking about Jimmy Butler, Finals MVP right now.

Butler and Embiid have chemistry and kindred spirits. He is older and would be no guarantee to re-sign next summer — a big risk, given the outcome last time Butler hit free agency — but Butler makes the Sixers better than Simmons does. He can also absorb many of Ben’s defensive duties, while finally giving Doc Rivers a pick-and-roll ball handler.