3 NBA trades for the Portland Trail Blazers to get Ben Simmons
Over the last 48 hours, reports have emerged that Damian Lillard could be interested in playing with Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons. If true, it’s unsurprising given Simmons’ well-documented drama and Portland’s lackluster start to the season.
The Trail Blazers need to make a change, their 11-14 record doing nothing to appease Lillard nor Portland fans. The duo of he and C.J McCollum has been good enough to reach the playoffs consistently, but simply lacks the capacity to be a serious challenger in the west.
Portland currently has the 30th ranked defense in the league. Their defense has always been in question given the limited size of the backcourt duo. Acquiring Simmons, a top-three defender in the league last season, would alleviate some of the issues to a certain extent.
On offense, a potential Lillard-Simmons duo has long been likened to the Warriors duo of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Although ambitious given Golden State’s duo has built incredible chemistry over ten seasons, there are clear similarities that would make Lillard and Simmons an exciting pairing.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at three ways the Trail Blazers could acquire the three-time All-Star.
NBA trades for the Portland Trail Blazers to get Ben Simmons: CJ McCollum
Portland Trail Blazers receive: Ben Simmons
Philadelphia 76ers receive: CJ McCollum
Let’s get the simplest one out of the way. This swap has long been discussed ever since the whole Simmons saga blew up. But whilst the two may share similar value, and a direct swap may deem applicable, does it actually work for both teams?
It certainly works for Portland, even if it means their overall offense takes a hit. The swap would slide Norman Powell down to the two and Robert Covington to the three, in doing so, the latter would form a more defensive-minded frontcourt next to Simmons and Jusuf Nurkic. Shooting would be the major problem, aided only if Simmons ever decides to change his mentality.
While the idea of McCollum may have seemed attractive during the off-season, the remarkable rise of Tyrese Maxey has lowered his value to the 76ers. Although McCollum may be an upgrade in the short term, Philadelphia could be loath to trade for him with the likes of Maxey, Seth Curry, and Shake Milton on the roster already.
It means a straight swap is unlikely, with Portland likely needing a third team to get involved if any such deal were to be completed.