Sometimes it’s hard to remember that Ben Simmons is on the Philadelphia 76ers. Granted there are days that Simmons’ agent Rich Paul reminds fans that’s fans that the All-Star is still there, but overall, it appears that the team as a whole has moved on.
Tyrese Maxey has stepped up and played fantastic as of late with Simmons out of the rotation. With that in mind, the Sixers are still missing the level of talent that Simmons has and they still need to be searching for a trade
In the offseason, I had written about a potential three-team trade involving the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Portland Trail Blazers. While that trade could be viable, the hypothetical trade below is much more likely at this point based on Simmons’ perceived value.
Potential 3-team trade between Sixers, Pelicans, and Kings: The potential deal.
This proposed trade is much more simple than the one I wrote in the offseason. For the Sixers, they get a former All-Star in Brandon Ingram, plus two total first round picks in 2022 and 2025. This deal fills a major need for the 76ers.
With the great play of Maxey, the need for a point guard has lessened significantly. Instead in this fake trade, Philly fills a need on the wing by getting Ingram, who’s a great two-way player and is an underrated playmaker. Getting two first round picks is also an added bonus.
The Pelicans have been horrendous this season without Zion Williamson and based on past experiences, the duo of Ingram and Williamson can’t get it done even if they are both healthy. Moving on from Ingram for another player who is on his same talent level makes sense for New Orleans.
The pairing of De’Aaron Fox and Williamson makes sense as most big men need a dynamic point guard in order to make deep playoff runs. Adding Fox will allow the Pels to be one of the most dangerous teams in transition.
Then there are the Kings who recently fired head coach Luke Walton after a 6-11 start of the season, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Kings are in panic mode without a clear star to build around. Swapping out Fox for Simmons gives Sacramento a legit star build around.
Having combo guards in Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell are ideal backcourt players to surround Simmons with. Simmons will get the chance to be the number one option there and then he can prove his worth without a doubt.
This deal works for all three teams. The Sixers get an All-Star level wing plus two first round picks, the Kings get an All-Star level point guard, and the Kings get an All-NBA level player. It seems like a fair enough deal.