Third Wheel: How the Cavs could be part of a Ben Simmons trade
How Cavs could be part of a Ben Simmons trade: Provide the young player
This is a common problem in deals for star players. A competing team trying to move their veteran star (whatever you think of Simmons he has multiple recent All-Star appearances) is going to want pieces back that can help it contend. Teams willing to trade their win-now pieces are often trying to tear things down and want young players or draft assets.
That’s where the Cavs can step in and offer a young piece like Collin Sexton or Isaac Okoro into the mix. The motivations get convoluted fairly quickly, but let’s say the 76ers are interested in adding an All-Star type player and a win-now rotation piece. The primary move is Simmons for an All-Star-type player. Then the Sixers find a team with the rotation piece, but that team wants a young player in return.
The Cavs jump in, take a draft pick or two floating around, and trade Sexton/Okoro to the rebuilding team. That team sends its win-now player out, and the 76ers get compensation for Simmons that helps them win now.
That was complicated; here is an example where the Cavs send Cedi Osman and Isaac Okoro to the Houston Rockets to grease the wheels on a trade built around Dejounte Murray and Ben Simmons. They receive back Thaddeus Young as salary ballast (on an expiring deal) and get a first and a second, let’s say. This allows the Rockets to get a young piece to complement Jalen Green in the backcourt, while the 76ers get Murray and Eric Gordon to help them win now.
That’s just an example (not a suggestion to trade Okoro) but there are always ways to jump into larger deals and find value. If the Cavs have something other teams value, they can take advantage of the situation to get back a valuable asset without taking on the weight of Ben Simmons.
Next. 3 potential trades Cavs can make with the Sacramento Kings. dark
Whether or not Ben Simmons is traded at the deadline, or this offseason, or if he retires to join NASA (would anything honestly surprise you at this point?) there is an excellent chance the deal will involve more than two teams. If so, the Cavs could stand to benefit.