The Philadelphia 76ers were already taking trade calls on Ben Simmons as they were looking to add a win-now player to their roster. Now the star has requested a trade.
Simmons is willing to go anywhere in the league as long as he is out of Philadelphia, and a few teams have the most interest in the 25-year-old three-time All-Star.
The Toronto Raptors maintained an interest in Simmons despite Philadelphia’s high asking price, and in a new trade suggestion put out by Bleacher Report, they acquire Simmons from the Sixers. In exchange, they give up Pascal Siakam, a 2022 first-round pick, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2025 first-round pick swap.
B/R on the deal:
If Siakam has been offered around the league, as Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer said he has, we can perhaps assume he’s been offered to Philadelphia. And if that’s the case, maybe the Raptors are hesitant to meet the draft-pick side of that asking price.
Is the talent and age gap between 27-year-old Siakam and 25-year-old Simmons big enough to justify four picks? Probably not. But if no other NBA team is willing to go that far, maybe Toronto can get it done with three.
Siakam was an All-Star in the 2019-20 season fresh off helping the Raptors win the title in 2019. He is not a perfect fit next to Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris, but he could be a big help. He can step out and knock down a 3, and he is also a very solid defender.
The only problem is, the Sixers tried this sort of configuration with Al Horford. While Siakam is better than Horford at this stage of their respective careers, Horford was not a good fit next to Embiid, and moving Harris to small forward has proven a tough role for him. This is a move that president Daryl Morey would likely not pull the trigger on.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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