Jaylen Brown – Posidelphia

The Latest on Ben Simmons

Nothing has changed yet in the Ben Simmons saga, but we are starting to see signs of desperation that show Daryl Morey was right. As teams start to struggle, the thought of starting fresh with a talent like Simmons is becoming more and more attractive. In this article, I share the teams I am hearing about and my thoughts on each rumor.

Sacramento Kings. The Kings have completely underperformed this year. They started the year with a strong stance that their two best young players, Tyrese Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox, were untouchable. It sounds like all that has changed. The Kings are convinced that they need to make a change and are willing to trade either of those players. Before the season started I would have been very interested in De’Aaron Fox. The play of Tyrese Maxey has changed that. While he is not as good as Fox, he is young and quickly improving. The Sixers should value strong shooting wings over quick point guards. Clutch Points has a great article on a potential deal (https://clutchpoints.com/nba-trade-rumors-reason-kings-are-favorites-in-sixers-ben-simmons-sweepstakes/) in which the Kings get Simmons and Harris and the Sixers get Fox, Buddy Hield, and Harrison Barnes. While I am not sure that this is enough to get the Sixers over the top, it would open up a lot of money for them to go after a mega free agent this summer.

Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are another team that is underperforming. They looked so promising in the playoffs last year, but they are simply not gelling. They are now interested in potentially trading John Collins. Collins is young, athletic and getting better every year. The only problem is that he completely overlaps with Tobias Harris. I love Tobias Harris, but value John Collins athleticism and potential more. The problem is that we would be trading Simmons for Collins and not Harris. While I like the idea of this trade, I just don’t see how it works unless we can include Harris and get another scoring wing in the deal. CBS Sports had a good article on this rumor. https://clutchpoints.com/nba-trade-rumors-reason-kings-are-favorites-in-sixers-ben-simmons-sweepstakes/

Boston Celtics. The Celtics continue to underperform. They just lost to the Sixers in a blowout and both Tatum and Brown were ineffective. While they remain strong that they do not want to break their two stars up, I hope that they continue to struggle and get desperate. Jaylen Brown would be a perfect fit with the Sixers and Simmons could improve the defense and the ball movement of the Celtics. I really think it could be a good thing for both teams. This is now my favorite option. I never like the Celtics, but this year I am rooting against them more than ever before.

Washington Wizards. The Wizards started strong this year, but have come back down to earth. They are just a little above .500 as an 8th seed and are clearly not ready to challenge the best teams in the East. Bradley Beal would be a perfect fit with Embiid, Maxey, Thybulle, and Harris. His one-on-one scoring ability would make everything easier for the team. If Bradley Beal truly wants to win, it is a very short ride up I-95 for him to land in a place where he can challenge for a championship in a city that would love him. Unfortunately, at this point this idea is similar to the Celtics and Jaylen Brown, more wishful thinking than real.

James Harden. James Harden and Joel Embiid could be an unstoppable pair. Putting these two together would instantly make the Sixers one of the teams to beat and a favorite to win it all. Unfortunately, that would not happen this season. Harden did not sign an extension and does not look like he will stay with the Nets. He left the Rockets because they got rid of Morey, so the Sixers would be a location he would be interested in. In order to make this happen, the Sixers would have to get rid of Simmons and Harris and then make a play over the summer. Keep an eye on how things play out this season as this signing is a very likely scenario if Morey is clearing cap space. Bleacher Report has a good article on this at https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10023468-james-harden-rumors-execs-think-76ers-want-ben-simmons-sign-and-trade-for-nets-star.

Ben Simmons will not be on the Sixers next season. The fact that the team has played so well without him gives Morey a lot of flexibility as to when he needs to make a trade. It will be both frustrating and fun to see what happens in the coming months.

Winning Streaks!

My favorite part about this title is that we could be talking about either the Sixers or the Eagles. The Eagles have clinched a playoff birth and have won three straight games. The Sixers have won four straight games and are currently the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. They also have a bunch of winnable games ahead of them. It is a fun time to be a Sixers and Eagles fan as both teams are overachieving.

The Eagles were supposed to be in a rebuilding year. They had a new head coach and a new quarterback. Vegas had odds that they would win 6.5 games. The team fought off a 2-5 start and have come together with a string of 3 straight wins. NFL teams are often so close in skill, confidence can be the difference between winning or losing. This win streak is showing the younger players that they can win. I do not see this team winning big in the playoffs, but they are young and have three first round draft picks for next year. This early success is a great foundation for what could be a strong team for the next few years.

The Sixers are in a completely different place. Coming into this season, they were a team with championship aspirations. Joel Embiid is one of the top 5 players in the NBA. Ben Simmons was a 3-time all-star and one of the best defensive players in the NBA. Tobias Harris was a borderline all-star and a great fit as a #3 option for a winning team. Unfortunately, Ben Simmons decided he wanted to be elsewhere. Losing such an integral part of the team would sink most teams. Fortunately for the Sixers, Joel Embiid has shown he can carry a team. He was the player of the month in December, and he has really done it all. Joel is still posting up and scoring, but he is also leading the break and setting up others to score. Joel has more triple doubles this year than he has ever had. In addition, each night a different player steps up. Tyrese Maxey came up big against the Nets. Tobias Harris was huge against the Wizards and the Raptors.

At this time, the Sixers are not ready to challenge the best teams in the NBA for a championship. Daryl Morey knows this and is taking advantage of this strong start to drive a hard bargain for Ben Simmons. As long as the Sixers can stay in the playoff hunt, they can wait until the last minute to make an impactful trade and bring in someone like Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, or Jaylen Brown.

Win streaks are fun and we need to celebrate them more than worry about who is playing well and who is not. Let’s hope these streaks continue through the weekend at least.

Ben Simmons Trade Watch – 12/31/2021

Bradley Beal, Jaylen Brown, and Demian Lillard are my top three choices for the Ben Simmons trade watch. Daryl Morey has been patient and that patience may be starting to pay off. The Wizards, Celtics, and Trailblazers are all struggling this season.

The Wizards started the season 10-3. They are 8-14 since that hot start. Beal is a free agent next season and the Wizards are not looking like they can become a real contender. He would look awfully nice playing with Embiid, Harris, and Maxey. Beal’s outside shooting and ability to create his own shot would make a huge difference in the Sixers half court offense. Sixers Sense is all over it with their article Philadelphia 76ers should have Bradley Beal as Prime Target.

The Celtics are another team that is struggling and may need to make a change. They are 16-19 and 10th in the Eastern Conference standings. This is the second year in a row where the team is just not clicking. Watching them play you can see that Tatum just does not trust his teammates. Their offense is stagnant with a lot of one-on-one plays that end in low probability shots. Even their fans are thinking it may be time to consider a change. SB Nation’s Celtics Blog asks the question Should the Celtics consider trading Jaylen Brown for Ben Simmons?

Finally, the Trailblazers are openly talking about blowing things up and starting over. They have a veteren laden team that is just not good enough to compete in the Western Conference. They are 13-21 and way out of the playoff race. There are younger teams that are just plain better than the Blazers. Ben could play there and be the cornerstone of their rebuilding process. It is never good when the teams bloggers are posting Keep or Dump articles mid-season.

Hopefully we will have a good resolution within the next month.