Probably the league’s worst kept secret was let out of the bag on Tuesday when it was reported that the Sixers are now looking into trades for All-Star Ben Simmons. The calls to trade him have grown loud since the team’s Game 7 loss home loss in Round 2 to the Atlanta Hawks on June 20 and it makes sense why they are loud.
Simmons shot just 34.2% from the free-throw line during the postseason and he still refuses to take any shots outside of the paint. Those shortcomings were highlighted in a big way in the playoffs and it hurt the Sixers on the offensive end at times.
Considering that he is just 24-years old and he is a 3-time All-Star, the value for Simmons is still there. Some believe that they should move him to the Portland Trail Blazers for C.J. McCollum, but president Daryl Morey has bigger fish to fry.
According to Marc Stein, who previously covered the NBA for ESPN as well as The New York Times and The Dallas Morning News, reported that Morey has his eyes on Blazers star Damian Lillard:
All teams covet the biggest stars, but Morey is especially obsessive about it. He will surely tune out the naysayers who suggest Simmons can no longer be the centerpiece for the acquisition of a Bradley Beal-type superstar. Portland’s CJ McCollum has been mentioned often as a potential Sixers target in a Simmons deal; rest assured that Morey longs for Damian Lillard if he is targeting any Trail Blazer.
Morey is not afraid to pull the trigger on any deal and it has been reported in the past that the Sixers are hoping for a chance to grab Lillard. It would probably take more than just Simmons, but the Sixers can make him the centerpiece on any potential deal.
The potential partnership of Lillard and Joel Embiid opens up a lot of possibilities for Philadelphia on the offensive end of the floor. Lillard obviously has deep range that spaces the floor even more for the big fella to go to work. The pick-and-roll between Lillard and Embiid would also offer more opportunities for easy points because of the different ways Lillard can score.
If Morey can pull off a deal for the Blazers star, it would put them right back at the forefront of the Eastern Conference title conversation for the 2021-22 season.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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