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

Teams that could trade for Ben Simmons: Chicago Bulls

It’s fair to say that very few trade ideas are original, as some fan or media member somewhere in the world has likely thought of it first. That being said, one specific trade idea floated since Ben Simmons passed his way into a postseason defeat is particularly intriguing.

The Athletic’s John Hollinger wrote about ($$$) the difficulty of trading Ben Simmons, and one trade he proposed was with the Chicago Bulls. Creating a package around Zach LaVine would possibly come the closest to fair value for the 76ers while finding a landing spot for Simmons that truly fit.

Proposed trade: Zach LaVine, Al-Farouq Aminu to 76ers; Ben Simmons, 2022 first-round pick to Bulls

For the 76ers, this would be an excellent move. LaVine has truly grown from the inefficient chucker he was on his rookie contract to an efficient shot-creator from outside. He was a deserving All-Star this past season, He shot a scorching 41.9 percent on 8.2 3-point attempts per game this season; despite missing 14 games he ranked ninth in the league in 3-point makes and was only a whisker behind Stephen Curry in percentage.

The 76ers could either elevate Tyrese Maxey to the starting lineup or sign a spot starter at the point with the mid-level exception, then have Danny Green, Tobias Harris and LaVine on the wing, a dynamic combination of strong shooters. LaVine has the skillset to solve their biggest problems from this past postseason.

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For the Chicago Bulls, they are looking down the barrel of a massive contract for LaVine next offseason, when he will be a restricted free agent. Either they back up the Brinks truck or he will walk to a different situation. Simmons, by contrast, is under contract for four more seasons, and even though he is on a maximum contract the scale means he will top out at $38.6 million, well below what LaVine will be making on a raise.

LaVine is a more valuable asset right now, so Philadelphia tosses in a 2022 first-round pick to balance it out. Aminu would be included to match salaries. This is as close to a win-win deal as we can find out there, with the right optics for both sides to declare it a win.

The Bulls have two high-level shooters in the frontcourt with Nikola Vucevic and Lauri Markkanen, making this one of the situations best equipped to work around Simmons. If not Chicago, someone will talk themselves into making an offer for the enigmatic combination of strengths and weaknesses. A new environment could be perfect for Simmons to take the next step in his career, and necessary for the 76ers to reach their ceiling as a team.