Can you imagine a world where Boston Celtics fourth-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown is a Philadelphia 76er, and 76ers forward Ben Simmons wearing the green and white?
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley can, positing a deal between the two Atlantic division rivals that would radically reshape their respective rosters.
The question being: would it be in a way that makes sense?
In the short-term, there’s some solid logic at play. The deal would send Brown and forwards Gordon Hayward and Romeo Langford to Philadelphia in exchange for Simmons, guard Josh Richardson and forward Mike Scott.
The Sixers get more shooting on the wing and spacing for center Joel Embiid to operate it, while Boston boosts its pick-and-roll capabilities with Scott and Richardson helping fill some of the roles (and salary ballast) of the Celtics’ departing players.
Strange times call for strange #NBA trade ideas. #quarantinereadinghttps://t.co/FnjUwHrVU7
— Zach Buckley (@ZachBuckleyNBA) April 20, 2020
This would benefit the Sixers far more than it would Boston, and doesn’t take into account the red flags of Simmons back issues nor the possibility that Brown could continue to develop into a better player.
Nor does it deal with the fact that Simmons hasn’t added much to his game and needs specific ecosystems to approach his true potential.
But that wasn’t really the goal of the article this trade idea was drawn from, more of a thought experiment of bold potential deals, and it lives up to that billing. While Philly might likely sign on for this deal if the 2020-21 season goes similarly or worse, it feels a little premature on their end as well.
All in all, it’s fun to think about how these players might thrive in different scenarios, but it seems the longest of longshots a similar deal will ever be tendered to the league offices.
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