Sixers’ possible Ben Simmons trades with Miami Heat: The 3-teamer
Let’s say the Wizards decide to move on from Bradley Beal. Then, let’s say that decision is made in conjunction with a decision to prioritize picks and young talent over Ben Simmons, whose production would be counterproductive to a full-blown rebuild. Then, let’s say the Heat want Ben Simmons next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and are willing to pay a fair price.
Ta-da!!!
This seems like a fair trade for every side. The Sixers get Bradley Beal, a top-20 player and one of the most gifted perimeter scorers of his generation. The Heat get Simmons, who is apparently… their guy? And the Wizards start fresh, with two interesting young guards and Goran Dragic, who is $19.4 million in expiring money, which could come in handy. They grab another pick or two from the Russell Westbrook-Lakers trade (L.O.L.), use Dragic’s contract to absorb bad money for another pick, and all of a sudden the Wizards are making Sam Presti jealous.
The Sixers should gleefully give up Simmons, Maxey, and a metric ton of picks for Beal, who moves the needle. It’s all about maximizing Joel Embiid’s window, the future be damned. You can’t ignore it entirely, but in this scenario, you get to keep Matisse Thybulle.
For Miami, again, there’s not a ton of logic to Simmons as the third-wheel on that team. The Heat are basically built to actively impede Simmons’ production, but hey, he’s still a really good young player, and if Pat Riley knows something I don’t, more power to him.