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Philadelphia 76ers: 5 teams that could trade for Ben Simmons

By Josh Cornelissen

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 13: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers in action against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at American Airlines Arena on May 13, 2021 in Miami, Florida, NBA Trades: 3 more trades to continue the Trail Blazers' roster overhaul. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 13: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers in action against the Miami Heat during the first quarter at American Airlines Arena on May 13, 2021 in Miami, Florida, NBA Trades: 3 more trades to continue the Trail Blazers' roster overhaul. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images /

Teams that could trade for Ben Simmons: Cleveland Cavaliers

The Philadelphia 76ers ideally need to get an offensive creator back from whatever team they trade with, as they won’t have much financial flexibility to sign one in free agency. With Simmons’ value as low as it is, however, it’s hard to find one in their prime to swap for.

One route they could take is trading for a younger player just on the upswing of his career, and help to foster his growth into a star. If they explore that option, then a specific Eastern Conference team is dealing with a crunch of offensive creators in their backcourt and a high level of uncertainty on the wing.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took point guards in back-to-back drafts in 2018 and 2019. Similar to the Portland Trail Blazers, the two guards are not likely to be viable defensively together. Armed with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Cavaliers could again be in the position to add a backcourt player.

Proposed trade: Darius Garland, Larry Nance Jr., Taurean Prince, Houston’s 2022 2nd-round pick to 76ers; Ben Simmons to Cavaliers

With this deal the Cavaliers free up space for the draft pick, all while shoring up their defense. Simmons could start alongside Kevin Love, a shooting-5 option that would give Simmons space to operate. With the right perimeter mix, the Cavs could also play Simmons alongside Jarrett Allen and completely lock off the paint, similar to Embiid and Simmons in Philadelphia.

The 76ers get a dynamic scoring guard who dropped 17.4 points per game and hit 39.5 of his 4.9 3-point attempts per game. He also averaged 6.1 assists per game, top-20 in the NBA, so he could replace much of the playmaking load that Simmons carried. There are still big question marks as he develops, but he would immediately give the 76ers something they haven’t had.

They also get a facsimile of Simmons’ defensive impact by adding Larry Nance Jr., a talented defensive forward on a reasonable contract. Nance has improved as a shooter, hitting 36 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, and could start alongside Tobias Harris or come off the bench as a defensive substitute. Houston’s unprotected 2022 second-round pick will likely be one of the five best next season and would give Philadelphia a way to add a cheap player next offseason.