Sixers: 3 underrated targets in potential Ben Simmons trade

3 underrated targets in Ben Simmons trade: Tyrese Haliburton

The Kings have mounted one of the strongest pursuits of Ben Simmons, in rumors are to be believed. While names like De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield have been popular in Sixers circles, my attention would be situated on Tyrese Haliburton. To say he’s a “better” option than Fox oversimplifies the matter, but it’s close. And the Kings are probably more willing to part with Haliburton than Fox.

Not to bring everything back to shooting (that’s far from the only issue, or even the main issue, with Philadelphia’s offense), but Haliburton is a legitimately great spot-up shooter. Fox is a below-average shooter. He takes enough to keep the defense honest, and is a heck of an improvement over Ben Simmons, but Haliburton stretches the floor in ways Fox never will.

As a rookie, Haliburton shot 47.2 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from deep (on 5.1 attempts), averaging 13.0 points and 5.3 assists. He is best suited as the second ball-handler in an offense, but Haliburton’s basketball I.Q. and unselfish demeanor could coalesce nicely with Joel Embiid’s dynamic, heliocentric offensive presence.

Haliburton’s size gives Philadelphia some lineup optionality (you can comfortably get away with having Haliburton, Seth Curry, and Danny Green in the same lineup) and he’s a smart team defender, though not the elite on-ball stopper Simmons is.

The Sixers would be wise to seek out another point guard who can pressure the rim on a consistent basis (getting Haliburton and Davion Mitchell would be miles better than getting Fox and Hield, if we’re going through the dichotomies of Sacramento’s guard rotation). That said, Embiid alone provides a fair amount of rim pressure, and Tyrese Maxey’s long-term upside as a complement to Haliburton (the only two Tyrese’s in NBA history) ought to excite Sixers management.

Haliburton should have been a top-3 pick. The Kings are itching for a playoff berth, and swapping Haliburton for Simmons gets them closer in the short term. And, there’s no doubt Haliburton loosens up the Sixers’ crunch-time offense in comparison to Simmons. This could be a good starting point for both teams.