The Committee liked the Cavaliers’ recent acquisition of Lauri Markkanen, even after the Cavs drafted Evan Mobley and re-signed Jarrett Allen, because they added Markkanen on a team-friendly contract that will be easy to trade if needed. This is no small thing when league sources say that Cleveland continues to keep its hat in the ring to try to pry Ben Simmons from the Sixers. Making a deal just to add a theoretical trade asset didn’t exactly work with the acquisition of Andre Drummond, since Cleveland was unable to find a subsequent deal to move Drummond on, but its options on Markkanen — keep and develop him or move him later — figure to be more favorable. If only that were the case when it comes to the Cavaliers’ Kevin Love conundrum … or the Darius Garland/Collin Sexton backcourt overload.
More on this storyline
Ben Simmons on IG yesterday 😂💀 -via Twitter @ClutchPointsApp / September 7, 2021
According to NBA insider Keith Pompey, this is one of the main reasons behind Simmons’ desire to jump ship. Not only does he want to leave, but it sounds like the former NBA Rookie of the Year wants Doc Rivers and the Sixers to pay for their views: “There are teams that are interested in Ben Simmons, they just don’t want to pay the steep price,” Pompey said during an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic Monday morning, via Justin Grasso of FanNation. “Ben Simmons knows that, so they are saying why should we help the 76ers out when they feel like when Doc Rivers said what he said, nobody apologized, and Doc was never reprimanded.” -via Clutch Points / September 7, 2021