The Philadelphia 76ers are looking to move on from a disappointing playoff finish, where, as the No. 1 seed in the East, they fell to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 at home in the second round. As they navigate the offseason, questions need to be answered.
One of those questions is what to do with star guard Ben Simmons. The 24-year-old three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive first-team member had a tough Game 7 against the Hawks, prompting calls for him to be traded. There have been plenty of rumors since the final buzzer on June 20.
There is a new trade suggestion — just a suggestion — from Bleacher Report that has the Sixers sending Simmons to the Charlotte Hornets for Gordon Hayward and the No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft:
For Philly, though, this would swap out Simmons for a better fitting (Joel) Embiid co-star. Hayward may not have a go-to elite skill, but that’s kind of the point. His ability to shape-shift between secondary scoring, playmaking, shot-creating and shooting roles would allow him to complement Embiid however needed and coexist with the likes of Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and whomever else the Sixers retain on their roster.
Netting the first-round pick—largely accounting for the age gap between Simmons and Hayward — would give president Daryl Morey a potentially critical trade chip to help make this roster championship-ready around Embiid.
Joel Embiid is ready to win a title right now, and Hayward had a really solid season in Charlotte, averaging 19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 41.5% from deep. Those are numbers that would look really good next to Embiid, and he can still put up big numbers.
On the flip side, moving a young star like Simmons for an older Hayward who has an injury history is a very risky move. The Sixers cannot afford to move Simmons for Hayward considering he only played 52 games in the 2019-20 season, and he only played 44 games for Charlotte. Morey and company have a lot to figure out in this upcoming offseason.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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