Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons is one of the young superstars who are highly expected to be moved before the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. Despite strong efforts from the Sixers to fix the issue, it seems like Simmons is already determined to leave the City of Brotherly Love.
In the past months, several teams have already been mentioned as potential landing spots for Simmons. One of the dark-horse trade destinations for the former No. 1 pick is the Boston Celtics.
Celtics Could Explore Trading For Ben Simmons
As of now, it remains unknown if there’s an ongoing trade negotiation between the Celtics and the Sixers regarding a potential deal involving Simmons. However, according to Celtics beat writer A. Sherrod Blakely, Boston could explore the possibility of trading for Simmons if his "price keeps dropping."
"I could absolutely see it happening if the price keeps dropping," Blakely said regarding the chance of a potential Simmons-to-Celtics trade, as quoted by Sixers Wire. "To me, it’s going to be one of those things where Ben Simmons would have to say ‘I want to play with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.’"
Celtics Should Trade For Ben Simmons If The Price Is Right
Trading for Simmons would make a lot of sense for the Celtics, especially if the Sixers won’t demand the inclusion of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the trade package. Simmons may still have some major flaws in his game, but he’s a very reliable contributor on both ends of the floor.
Aside from providing them with a long-term answer to the starting point guard position, Simmons would also give the Celtics a very reliable scorer, rebounder, and lockdown defender. Last season, he averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.6 steals while shooting 55.7 percent from the field, per ESPN.
Proposed Trade Package To Acquire Ben Simmons
On Twitter, Dan Greenberg of Barstool Sports came up with a hypothetical blockbuster trade idea that would enable the Celtics to acquire Simmons from the Sixers. In the proposed trade scenario, the Celtics would be sending a package that includes Al Horford, Robert Williams III, Payton Pritchard, Aaron Nesmith, and Romeo Langford to the Sixers in exchange for Simmons.
Greenberg also mentioned Anthony Tolliver as one of the players that would be heading to Boston. However, Keith Smith of RealGM pointed out in a tweet that Tolliver has been waived by the Sixers two weeks ago.
Does The Trade Make Sense For Ben Simmons & The Sixers?
Leaving the Sixers for the Celtics would also make sense for Simmons. Having a fresh start in Boston would help Simmons regain his confidence and return to the right path to becoming a legitimate superstar in the league. Though he would still need to make a huge adjustment with his game, teaming up with Brown and Tatum would give him a realistic chance of reaching the NBA Finals and capturing his first Larry O’Brien Trophy next season.
Meanwhile, the potential deal would be worth exploring for the Sixers if the drama involving Simmons started to become a major distraction to their team. Though they would need to absorb Horford’s contract, the Sixers would be receiving four young players that they could use in a future blockbuster when a superstar becomes available on the market.
