76ers’ Simmons to Warriors? Rumors have already begun
Ben Simmons was last seen melting down in fourth quarter after fourth quarter in the 76ers’ shocking second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Could his next sighting be in San Francisco?
If you ask Stephen A. Smith, the answer is a firm maybe.
“I’m not saying it’s definitely going to happen, but calls have already been made, things are percolating and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if something like that ended up going down,” Smith said on Friday’s edition of ESPN’s Shouting Olympics, er, First Take.
Simmons’ agent Rich Paul reportedly met with the Sixers’ brass in Chicago this week following the team’s flameout to discuss the former No. 1 pick’s future.
After averaging 14.3 points and 6.9 assists this season, he scored just 30 total points in the final four games of the Sixers-Hawks series, three of which were losses. He took zero shots combined in the fourth quarters of those games, and only three fourth-quarter shots all series.
Sixers coach Doc Rivers wouldn’t commit when asked after Game 7 if the three-time All-Star could be a point guard on a championship team. Philadelphia star and MVP runner-up Joel Embiid highlighted a missed opportunity by Simmons as the turning point in the 76ers’ final loss at home Sunday.
Golden State general manager Bob Myers and
coach Steve Kerr have said they want to add veteran players this offseason who can help them contend as soon as possible, considering the star trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green is now a 31-and-up club. Simmons is only 24, but he has already played in 34 playoff games.
The Warriors brass is focused on playmaking and shooting as two skills to target in offseason additions. Simmons would
clearly add value on one of those fronts (7.7 assists per game for his career) but just as clearly detract on the other (five 3-pointers made in four NBA seasons). Simmons would also bring a great deal of defensive talent at the point of attack or against larger wing scorers.
So what would it take to acquire Simmons? Surely the price is lower than it was prior to the Atlanta series, but even now the Warriors would have to pay up for a player with his credentials.
Fellow former top pick Andrew Wiggins is a natural swap candidate, as their salaries nearly match. Wiggins provided solid secondary scoring behind Curry this season and was Golden State’s top perimeter defender, but the Warriors may have to sweeten the deal a bit beyond Wiggins.
“Philadelphia is trying to claim that Philadelphia is not interested in moving Ben Simmons,” Smith said. “That’s a damn lie. It’s just that they’re not interested in getting trash back for him. You make a solid, bonafide offer, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to consider it.”
The Warriors learned this week that they’ll have picks No. 7 and No. 14 in next month’s draft. Those could certainly be trade chips if Philadelphia has its eye on a mid- or late-lottery prospect.
Another oft-rumored trade candidate is secondyear center James Wiseman. After all, the Warriors tried and largely failed last year to balance a winnow approach with developing the young, talented big man. But with Embiid in place with the Sixers, a third team would surely have to be involved for Wiseman to be included — and Myers only has to look as far as Phoenix to see how a once-maligned young center can grow into a playoff difference-maker early in his career.
With the draft lottery in the rearview mirror, it’s trade speculation time. Buckle up, Warriors fans. The road back to contention could get bumpy.