Most likely Ben Simmons trade destinations — 5. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors keep popping up in Simmons rumors, even more than teams ranked ahead of them on this list… and yet, it doesn’t make a ton of sense. On paper, Simmons is a questionable fit with Toronto’s best player (Pascal Siakam), and the Raptors have no shortage of big wings/forwards in the running for playing time (OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes).
Depending on your perspective, you could argue Simmons is better than all those players, and Toronto could include one or two in a Simmons trade. Let’s say, for example, Toronto sends Anunoby and Barnes to Philly to pair Simmons with Siakam and Fred VanVleet. In the end, sure, that’s a good team. A playoff team in the East.
With Kyle Lowry no longer in the picture, however, a rebuild feels semi-inevitable for Toronto. Siakam has been involved in his own flurry of trade rumors this summer, and I’m skeptical of Philly swapping Simmons for a power forward (even if Siakam is a “better fit,” which is debatable).
Masai Ujiri is a notoriously aggressive GM who is unafraid of taking on discontent All-Stars (see: Kawhi Leonard). The Raptors could make Simmons work if they’re big enough fans of his talent. That said, the Barnes pick always felt like a declaration of different intentions. As soon as his name was called at No. 4, instead of the favored Jalen Suggs, a Simmons trade simply didn’t feel quite as right.
As a point of theory/principle, every trade rumor probably involves posturing. Reports of “oh, Toronto won’t give up this borderline starter, or this bench player” typically don’t hold up. The same can be said for the reports of Daryl Morey’s outlandish asking price. The teams start at two extremes, and when negotiations kick up, compromise comes about naturally. Do not conflate posturing with an unbreakable vow.