Third Wheel: How the Cavs could be part of a Ben Simmons trade

How Cavs could be part of a Ben Simmons trade: Pull a Jarrett Allen

At the start of last season, former MVP guard James Harden was pouting his way into a departure from the Houston Rockets, and the Cleveland Cavaliers were never a serious suitor for his services. Yet when the trade ultimately went down, landing Harden in Brooklyn, the Cavs were there on the call.

The Nets needed to send out Jarrett Allen, but the Houston Rockets did not want him. Enter the Cavs, who took in Allen (and the salary of Taurean Prince) in exchange for a first-round pick that the Nets routed to the Houston Rockets. The Nets and Rockets might have been able to work it out without Cleveland jumping in, but the Cavs took advantage of the opportunity to add a player who is now a key piece of their young core.

Could they do that again with the pending Ben Simmons trade? Absolutely. What if the Sacramento Kings work out the bones of a deal with Philly, but the 76ers aren’t interested in Buddy Hield? The Cavs could step in and take on Hield. Or conversely, if the Sixers try to offload Tobias Harris in a Simmons deal, could the Cavs take on Harris as their small forward? That might require sending out Kevin Love, as in this example; is that worth it?

This won’t be as easy as an option as it was last time. There could be a number of Simmons suitors who would prefer to include their center but can’t because the Sixers, with Joel Embiid, have no interest. With Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Kevin Love the Cavs won’t be spending any resources on centers.

Wing players are less likely to be available in such scenarios, but it’s not impossible. If a team has a player that the Sixers aren’t excited about they could provide a draft pick to add to the team’s larder, and their flexibility in sending back an expiring deal with Ricky Rubio makes this possible.