© Kyle Terada | 2021 Mar 23
When we last checked in on the Ben Simmons saga in Philadelphia, Sixers general manager Daryl Morey was asking for an absolute king’s ransom for the disgruntled star. Specifically, it was reported that Philadelphia wanted four first-round picks and an All-Star level player in return.
Unsurprisingly, reports were that the Warriors had no interest in cutting a deal like that, especially considering Simmons’ stock was at an all-time low. We say was because it’s undoubtedly lower now, considering Tuesday’s report in the Philadelphia Inquirer that Simmons has demanded a trade and will not be participating in Sixers training camp.
There’s an element of that report that pertains to the Warriors as well. Apparently, Simmons prefers to be traded to one of three teams located in California.
“Think about three months ago when the Sixers are willing to give up Ben Simmons. You are like, ‘Let’s see what we have to do to get him,’ ” a Western Conference executive said to the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. “Now, the difference is Ben Simmons says he refuses to play for the Sixers. He wants to go to three California teams. There’s so much bad blood between him and the team.”
“The kid said he’s not going back,” the executive said. “I’m not giving you what you’re demanding. They really messed this up.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that Simmons would probably prefer going to the Lakers, Clippers and Warriors over the Kings. It’s more difficult to square if any of those teams can or would be interested in trading for his services.
For the Warriors it’s unclear. Even if they could acquire Simmons for one of their stars and a future pick, would they want to? Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are off the table, leaving Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins as the potential salary matches. Simmons for Wiggins would leave the Warriors with two non-shooters in their starting lineup, something that typically doesn’t work in the modern NBA.
Also is Simmons that much better than Wiggins? They are pretty close from a defensive standpoint, which is Simmons’ most valuable skill, and Wiggins was highly efficient as a scorer and shooter for the Warriors last season, something Simmons is certainly not.
Simmons for Green would make more sense, considering Simmons is a younger, more-athletic version of Draymond, but you’d think that the Sixers would also want a James Wiseman thrown in to sweeten a deal like that. Is that worth it?
A lot of this depends on what you think of Simmons, 25, who despite being a three-time All-Star has seen his reputation around the league plummet after an absolute mental collapse during the playoffs last season. Appearing fearful of going to the foul line, he shot .333 (15-for-45) in the Atlanta series after shooting .357 (10-for-28) in the first round against Washington. In Game 7 vs. the Hawks, he scored five points on four shot attempts.