Sixers: 5 most likely Ben Simmons trade destinations

Most likely Ben Simmons trade destinations — 3. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs have been an ongoing dark horse in the Simmons race. Gregg Popovich has raved about Simmons in the past, and everyone knows he would prefer to compete in the twilight years of his legendary career. The Spurs also have a legendary shooting coach, with more than enough roster flexibility to finesse a Simmons package.

In fact, very few teams make more sense on paper than San Antonio. Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, and Derrick White are all suitable centerpieces, while the Spurs’ collection of young talent — Devin Vassell, Joshua Primo, Lonnie Walker, Tre Jones — is bound to include a player or two who piques Morey’s interest. San Antonio even has a couple strong salary-matching vets in Thaddeus Young and Doug McDermott.

If San Antonio wants to field a contender, then Simmons is the clearest path to the play-in tournament or beyond. He’s a suitable replacement to DeMar DeRozan, who functioned as the Spurs’ spacing-challenged primary facilitator for long stretches last season. He also reinforces a solid San Antonio defense.

There is just so much going for San Antonio that the lack of consistent reporting doesn’t really matter. We have enough nuggets and hints to connect the Spurs to Simmons, and what better starting point for a trade package than one of San Antonio’s elite defensive guards and a smattering of long-term assets?