The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to move on after coming up short again in the 2021 playoffs. They fell at home in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Atlanta Hawks when Ben Simmons came up very small — again.
Simmons took four shots in a deciding game at home, and he did not take any shots in the fourth quarter including passing up a wide-open dunk. It was the type of performance that left a lot of people thinking the Sixers should now move on from Simmons and focus on building around Joel Embiid.
That means a lot of trade proposals will be offered over the next few months. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins suggested the Sixers send Simmons to the Minnesota Timberwolves:
If I’m the Philadelphia 76ers, you know what’s the right place for Ben Simmons? I’m going to trade him for D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley, and I’m sending him to Minnesota where he could be around a guy like Karl-Anthony Towns that loves to stretch the floor and float around the 3-point line. Now you able to move DLo out of there and Malik Beasley, because Anthony Edwards now is flourishing and they could get up out of his way. Now Ben Simmons is rolling to the basket and you’re getting the best out of him.
This is one of those trades that could work out well for both teams. Simmons can fit next to Towns and he can be something of a point-forward for Minnesota. Both Russell and Beasley are solid 3-point shooters and they would be better fits next to a guy like Embiid who can have even more space with Simmons out of the picture.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
List
Sixers individual player grades following Game 7 home loss to Hawks
