3 All-Star trade targets that would save the Philadelphia 76ers’ season: Jaylen Brown
It was rumored earlier this season that the Boston Celtics were interested in Simmons. That interest shouldn’t be diminishing considering that the franchise has struggled despite high expectations entering this season.
Despite having the duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are just 17-19 and are ninth in the East. It’s clear that they need to shake things up and there’s no doubt that adding Simmons would help them immediately. However, getting Simmons there would be tricky, to say the least. I wrote about a hypotethical trade between the two clubs before, but looking back it probably was a little bias in the Philadelphia 76ers’ favor.
While many Celtics fans would hate splitting up their dynamic duo, the Sixers don’t do a deal with Boston unless Brown is involved. That being written, this is a nice return for the Celtics. They get two elite defenders in Simmons and Matisse Thybulle, while also getting two first round picks.
The 76ers receive Brown and Juancho Hernangomez in this fake trade. Brown’s fit with Embiid and the emerging Tyrese Maxey is sound. Brown is a two-way player who has developed into a very good three-level scorer. While the Sixers’ playmaking wouldn’t be in an ideal place, their defense will be, and that matters in the postseason.