Cleveland Cavaliers: Pros and cons of trading for Ben Simmons

Cons

It’s time to analyze some downsides. First and foremost – giving up on the Cavaliers young core so early could come back to haunt the franchise. Watching Collin Sexton, Darius Garland or Kevin Porter Jr. become a star somewhere else would be a heartbreaker for Cleveland.

While the Cavs young guys have been heavily criticized – they have also shown enough to warrant at least another season together. Sexton finished the year on a scorching hot streak from the field and bumped his per-game averages to over 20 points. Garland had flashes of elite shot-creating and Porter has all of the raw tools of an eventual two-way star.

The question is, what would the Cavaliers be sacrificing their young core for? Is a first-round exit with Ben Simmons as their leader worth shipping away Sexton/Garland/Porter? This is the problem Cleveland needs to address. Simmons might be talented enough to bring them back to the playoffs – but is that their only goal?

There is no bouncing around the fact that Simmons is one of the worst 3-point shooters in NBA history. In the modern game where players are attempting deep shots at an all-time high rate – Simmons stands alone as one of the few players who refuse to even attempt shots from beyond the arc. This has put a hard cap on Simmons’ potential in the league and will continue to limit whatever team he is on.

Copying the Rockets and Bucks is simple, on paper. However, without a player as dominant as James Harden or Giannis Antetokounmpo – it will be impossible to become a title contender playing this brand of basketball. Unless Simmons makes some major developments – he will never be as skilled as either of those MVPs.

Lastly, would Simmons even have an interest in staying in Cleveland? The two-time All-Star has no ties to the city and wouldn’t be interested in another rebuild after just bringing Philly out of the lottery. Simmons won’t be a free agent until 2025 but we know all too well how a frustrated star can derail a franchise by forcing a trade (@KyrieIrving).