The Philadelphia 76ers were definitely underachieving in the 2019-20 season. They made plenty of moves in the 2019 offseason that had the organization thinking they were legitimate contenders heading into the season. However, before the league hiatus on March 11 due to coronavirus, they were sitting at just the 6 seed in the East as things did not go as planned.
All season long, the team has been criticized for putting together a roster with two traditional big men in Al Horford and Joel Embiid with a non-shooter in Ben Simmons at point guard. The awkward fit has had everybody taking aim at the Simmons and Embiid pairing suggesting that the Sixers break up the duo and there is one trade suggestion for Philadelphia that says they should trade Simmons to the Portland Trail Blazers for C.J. McCollum.
Bleacher Report put together a trade suggestion for a few contenders to improve and for this trade option for Philadelphia, they wrote:
The Trade: Ben Simmons for CJ McCollum, Anfernee Simons and 2021 first-round pick
It’s been an up-and-down season for the 76ers, and for the first time during Joel Embiid’s and Ben Simmons’ time as teammates, there’s evidence that calls their fit into question.
On the season, Philly is:
- plus-1.0 points per 100 possessions when Embiid and Simmons are on the floor
- plus-2.6 when Simmons is on the floor without Embiid
- plus-10.8 when Embiid is on the floor without Simmons
It’s understandable when you consider the offensive struggles of the Sixers all season, but that is more due to the Horford acquisition and the loss of sharpshooter JJ Redick. When you look at the numbers, the duo of Simmons and Embiid had an offensive rating of 113.3 and it was 112.8 in 2018-19. That number has dropped to 104.7 in 2019-20 as the new pieces still need the time to jell.
A big issue has been Simmons’ reluctance to shoot the ball, drawing the ire of assistant coach Jim O’Brien, and that is the main motivation for a McCollum acquisition.
B/R added:
The Sixers would be giving up the best asset in the deal (and by a wide margin). Simmons is still just 23 years old. So getting back a first-rounder and an intriguing young player in Anfernee Simons would make this a bit more palatable.
Plus, if McCollum is your point guard, defenses won’t be able to sag when the ball goes inside to Embiid.
The big man’s ceiling will most likely be reached when he’s surrounded by shooters, and McCollum is more than that. He’s averaged at least 20 points in each of the last five seasons.
Whenever the NBA can resume, and there is optimism that it can, the playoffs will be telling for this team. It very well may decide what the team does with the All-Star duo as they decide on how to best move the team forward. [lawrence-related id=29465,29456,29448]