The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to improve in the offseason after being ousted in the second round by the Atlanta Hawks at home in Game 7. Now, there are limited ways for the team to upgrade the roster, but one of those ways is through a trade.
The biggest asset the team has right now is 24-year-old three-time All-Star Ben Simmons, who will be involved in plenty of trade rumors over the next couple of weeks.
The biggest trade acquisition Philadelphia can make is bringing in Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, who is reportedly upset with the way the offseason is unfolding in the Pacific Northwest and looking for a way out of Rip City. A Lillard-Joel Embiid pairing would put the Sixers squarely in the title conversation in the Eastern Conference.
A trade suggestion made by HoopsHype has the Sixers sending Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2028 first-round pick to Portland for Lillard:
Philadelphia has expressed its intent to help improve Simmons’ shooting, but meetings have also taken place regarding his future there. Lillard is exactly the type of All-Star the Sixers would love to acquire for Simmons should both sides decide to mutually part ways. While the Sixers lose a considerable amount of defense going from Simmons to Lillard, the emergence of Matisse Thybulle could soften that impact and make trading Simmons an easier decision.
Thybulle made an All-Defensive second team while averaging only 20 minutes per game off the bench. If Philadelphia can keep him and give him a larger role, it would soften the blow of giving up an elite defender like Simmons.
The potential of bringing in a guy like Lillard to pair with Embiid is too great. Lillard’s elite shooting and his strong play in crunch time changes so many things for Philadelphia on the offensive end of the floor. There would be endless possibilities in a pick-and-roll between those two due to Lillard’s shooting ability.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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