The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly a team to watch as the Philadelphia 76ers field trades for Ben Simmons.
Ben Simmons is yet to appear in a game for the Philadelphia 76ers this season and it appears that a trade may finally be on the horizon. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned that the Cleveland Cavaliers could be team in the mix for land the former number one overall pick.
“But here’s an interesting team to watch: the Cleveland Cavaliers, who before they went on this really incredible start to the season, had been engaged with Philly on Simmons. They’ve got some really intriguing assets, either in a straight deal or perhaps a three- or four-team deal. It was reported earlier J.B. Bickerstaff agreed to a new extension today through 2026-27. This is a team in Cleveland that’s just a game out of third place.”
Adding a player the caliber of Ben Simmons would certainly align with faith the franchise has placed in recently extended J.B. Bickerstaff. After several years of navigating through irrelevance, they finally appear to actually be on an upward trajectory. There are several key pieces in place which the team would be wise to build around with Bickerstaff continuing to guide them.
Cleveland has shown interest before, even being linked before the season started. The following excerpt is from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com in a report from September in regards to the Cavs interest in Simmons.
“Sources maintain the Cavs don’t have any ‘untouchables.’ However, prized rookie Evan Mobley and rising point guard Darius Garland are closest to that designation. The likelihood of either player being moved is incredibly low. That leaves Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro and future first-rounders to help cajole a Simmons deal.”
With how the season has unfolded this has proven to be true and then some. Darius Garland certainly has ascended into an untouchable while Evan Mobley looks like to be a generational player who is also untouchable. Cleveland does have other names to deal and those were mentioned in a hypothetical trade from NBC Sports Philadelphia as they projected a possible package resulting in Ben Simmons coming to Cleveland.
PHI receives: Lauri Markannen, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, MIL 2022 1st Round Pick, 2023 1st Round Pick (Top 3 protected)
Obviously, Lauri Markkanen would be replaced by Ben Simmons in the starting lineup. Isaac Okoro has shown some promise lately, but his offense is still a work in progress. Collin Sexton only appeared in 11 games this season and it is not surprising that the team is playing better with him removed from the equation. Even though the Cavs gave the combo of Garland and Sexton the chance to work, it is quite clear that they are not compatible. Garland has rapidly ascended without having to share the ball with Sexton and is cementing himself as the point guard of the future in Cleveland.
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The one thing the Cavs must consider in regards to acquiring Ben Simmons is how much would his addition disrupt what has been working currently. Simmons is not a threat from deep, removing 9.6 attempts per game from Markkanen and Okoro this season in favor of Simmons’ career average of 0.1 may not be ideal. It is also possible that Simmons and his 21.5% career usage rate could provide similar issues that Sexton’s 27.2% does.
The reality is that while Cleveland is playing well, they are not a team with a ton of depth. Trading for Ben Simmons would result in a good portion of their role players leaving town. That being said, this would be a move for the long term and not the short term. Supplementing this roster with additional shooters is something they have to do anyways. If they can add someone the caliber of Simmons along the way it would be certainly hard to pass up.
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