Cavs: 3 potential lineups to try out with Ben Simmons

The Cleveland Cavaliers have assembled a talented young core to build upon moving forward, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t always be looking for ways to improve it. One such option, of such popular discussion in recent days, is for the Cavs to trade for estranged Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.

Nominally the co-star in Philly alongside Joel Embiid, Simmons has had to watch as Embiid has grown into not only a better player, but a significantly more beloved one. Simmons’ faults as a player, namely his lack of shooting, have turned him into something of a pariah in the only city he has ever played in during his career.

He is on the way out, and has told the 76ers and the basketball world that he is not playing another game for the organization. That will lead to teams getting a chance to make a deal for him that is more palatable than the exorbitant returns Daryl Morey was asking for earlier in the offseason.

The Cavs can make a trade offer to bring in Ben Simmons, and then can look to build a rotation around him

Should the Cavs be one of those teams to make an offer? That’s a question for another post. If they do, and if Ben Simmons becomes a Cleveland Cavalier, then the question becomes how the Cavs deploy him. To that end, here are three potential lineups the Cavs can build around Simmons.

Note: For the purposed of this article, just assume the potential trade package included players not listed in that lineup. There are a number of different iterations for the deal, including this one from ESPN ($$) that only involves Kevin Love and picks, so any of these combinations are reasonable at least on the surface.