A Ben Simmons trade to Boston? Yes, please originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
In the saga that doesn’t ever seem to want to end, a report emerged earlier this week that the Sixers have had conversations with the Boston Celtics, who are expressing interest in trading for the Sixers’ dormant point guard, Ben Simmons.
I have two words in response to this:
Yes. Please.
The return on this trade – the report mentioned Jaylen Brown as a centerpiece – is nearly irrelevant. This trade would kill two birds with one quickly thrown stone. Not only would it rid the Sixers of a player that obviously has no interest in ever playing another game for the team, but the move would send the incessant headache to one of the team’s chief rivals.
Sending Simmons to the Celtics would bring some hand wringing from fans. What if Simmons finally finds that mid-range game that he refused to develop in five seasons in Philadelphia? What if he becomes the two-way player that the team and its fans always believed he could be?
What has Simmons done at any point in the last three seasons to lead you to believe that any of that would happen? How many offseason Instagram videos have you watched of Simmons draining threes, pulling up and drilling an elbow jumper?
Shipping Simmons up to Boston not only would hamstring the Celtics’ half-court offense, but it would also hamstring the team’s salary cap flexibility for this season, and three more after that. Simmons is due more than $113 million over the three seasons following this one.
You think it’s been hard for Daryl Morey to move him for a difference-maker? Add another season or two of Simmons at the helm of a stagnant offense, hiding in the dunker spot in a playoff series while his teammates play 4-on-5 on offense. A bigger albatross would be hard to find.
And watching the Celtics flounder with Simmons in green would be so poetic for Sixers fans. I may buy the season package just to hate-love-watch Celtics games as long as he’s there.
This would be a match made in heaven for Sixers fans. And I’m here for all of it.