The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly believe that they could have an “enticing” potential trade offer for the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons.
At this point, the Philadelphia 76ers are currently a team with a bunch of talent, headlined by Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris. That squad has had its share of issues and inconsistencies in recent seasons, though, and perhaps the Cleveland Cavaliers could be able to acquire Simmons at some point seemingly as a result.
The reason for that is, according to a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, an executive from Philly, per Fedor, “believes the Sixers will need to choose between Simmons and Joel Embiid — if Philly has an earlier-than-expected playoff exit.”
The Sixers are slated in as the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed, and would be slated to play the Boston Celtics, for context, if that stands. Considering that, it would seem that an early postseason exit would be likely, minus Simmons, and I could very well that as the case anyway.
Simmons is reportedly likely to miss the rest of 2019-20, due to him being slated to “undergo surgery to remove a loose body in his left knee,” per a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. So perhaps that report from Fedor involving those comments from a Sixers executive could hold more weight, then?
We’ll have to see what will eventually play out, but either way, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be foolish to not be interested in a potential Simmons deal.
In terms of a potential offer for Simmons, here was what Fedor said from the Cavs’ end of the spectrum, after Fedor of course alluded to how Philly would want “a haul” for Simmons.
"“But the Cavs believe they have enough to assemble an enticing package, especially with recent first-rounders littering the roster, a top six pick coming in October and a future first from the Milwaukee Bucks.Those picks, combined with one of the young guys and some salary filler, is a good start. It’s also why the Cavs have spent the first few years of the post-LeBron era stockpiling assets. In any potential trade discussion, the Cavs would cling tightest to Kevin Porter Jr.Philly’s need for shooters around Embiid could make rookie Darius Garland a compelling fit.”"
In potential talks, one would assume that Collin Sexton, who led the Cavs in scoring with 20.8 points per game, would be a key piece that would need to be included, or Darius Garland, for instance. While Garland did struggle and reportedly was seemingly affected some by him second guessing in regards to his meniscus injury in college, Garland did show flashes and his playmaking did made strides as the season progressed.
I’d imagine that Philly would be looking to have Sexton as a part of a return if further talks were to ensue, more so, though, just given how Sexton is a multi-faceted scorer. Pieces such as Embiid, a gifted rim protector, Josh Richardson and Matisse Thybulle could aid Sexton on the defensive end, too. Additionally, Sexton, who has hit 39.2 percent from three-point range in his first two seasons, has worked tirelessly and has established himself as a highly capable catch-and-shoot threat.
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With how Fedor referenced how Philadelphia should look to add shooting around Embiid, perhaps Dylan Windler could be packaged with Sexton, to go with the Cavs top six pick and that Milwaukee future first.
While Windler has not played yet with the Cavs, he did knock down 40.6 percent of his three-point attempts in a four-year collegiate career at Belmont, and is reportedly progressing well in regards to complications involving a stress reaction in his left leg.
Maybe that could be a starting package then for Philly from the Cavs? I still am a huge fan of Sexton and believe he’s going to continue to lean into a big-time scoring role, and his growth last season off the ball as a shooter and cutter shouldn’t be discounted, from my perspective.
I also believe Windler could very well be at least a key bench piece in coming years for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but if potential for a Simmons deal is there, the Cavs would be foolish to not be interested. As Fedor noted, the Cavs would have Simmons interest, and they absolutely should if the possibility arises.
Simmons, while this injury was very unfortunate for him and he did miss his entire formal “rookie” season due to a right foot injury, is such a gifted passer, and he could open up so many opportunities for feasibly Andre Drummond, who fully intends to pick up his player option for 2020-21. The same could go for Larry Nance Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. and maybe Garland if the Cavs could perhaps hold on to him?
Simmons is set to have his contract extension kick in beginning next season, and given his poison pill provision, Cleveland would be set to have an incoming 42.0 million in a potential deal for Simmons, while it would be an outgoing $8.1 million from the 76ers’ end. As Forbes‘ Evan Dammarell noted, though, to make salary matching feasibly work, Kevin Love would have to be sent to Philly by Cleveland anyhow. Granted, Dammarell doesn’t see the Cavs as a realistic trade partner if a Simmons deal were to happen.
The Cavs would absolutely be in the right to keep monitoring the situation further, in any case. As Fedor touched on, Simmons is the type of player that could definitely alter the Cavs’ future and even if Love would need to be involved, I couldn’t blame the Cavs in that potential scenario moving him. Simmons is not a shooter from the perimeter by any stretch, nor much from the mid-range area at all, but he is a superb athlete that finishes very well with both hands via drives and is a post-up presence, and is arguably the most versatile on-ball defender in the entire league.
He also has led the league in steals this season, is eighth among qualified players in defensive box plus-minus. Through his first three seasons, Simmons, who is 24, has had 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game, and he could function as Cleveland’s primary playmaker from the jump.
The Cleveland Cavaliers would hope Simmons would stay healthy, and feasibly be locked-in, but again, if the possibility is there, while I love Sexton and still think Garland/potentially Windler could be key pieces for Cleveland going forward at least, the Cavs would be foolish to not pursue a Simmons deal if there is potential there.
Maybe as Dammarell stressed it’s not too likely, but it’d be good on the Cavs to at least do their due diligence. The dude is a two-time All-Star in three seasons and was the 2017-18 Rookie of the Year.
Fedor would go on to mention the Chicago Bulls’ Zach LaVine as a piece that could be on the Cavs radar if LaVine and the Bulls were to eventually be on the outs, but we’ll see on that. Frankly, Simmons, given his all-around impact, is a player I’d much rather the Cavs potentially target, though.
But we’ll have to see what plays out with Philly, as Simmons is still such a talented two-way player, even as a non-shooter, and I don’t believe they previously gave him a five-year, $170 million extension just to trade him early on into that/before it even begins.
We’ll keep monitoring this, but either way, it’s nice to hear that Porter, who is such a promising young player and potential star, is off the hypothetical table.