LA Clippers: 2 disadvantages, 1 advantage to trading for Ben Simmons
By Evan Desai
Ben Simmons has reportedly cut off all communication with the Philadelphia 76ers, and the LA Clippers could possibly be considering the three-time All-Star point guard.
Source: Ben Simmons has cut off communication with basically everyone in the Sixers organization. Everything is going thru his agent, Rich Paul. Ben is open to going to the GSWs though he doesn’t have much leverage in the situation.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) August 5, 2021
As for the 76ers, they’re reportedly asking for four first round picks at a minimum for the former All-NBA player.
The Philadelphia 76ers are still seeking AT LEAST four future first-round picks in any deal for Ben Simmons, per @davidaldridgedc pic.twitter.com/Ga4AntXiEi
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 2, 2021
That’s a little bit ridiculous, and his trade value is only getting lower and lower by the minute now that he wants nothing to do with the franchise. He’s not going to cost that much in a trade, and the Clippers do have several key trade pieces they can work with. I’m not big into Ben Simmons, so I wouldn’t love a trade here.
It wouldn’t be all bad, though, so it’s worth looking at both the cons and the pros.
No. 1 advantage for the LA Clippers to trade for Ben Simmons: What he CAN do on the court
Whenever people talk about Ben Simmons, they constantly bring up that one glaring weakness he has on the court (I’ll get to that later). That’s fair, but it is also worth considering what he can do on the basketball court.
Simmons is a two-time All-Defensive Team selection, and the 2019-2020 steal champ. He’s averaged 1.7 steals per game over the course of his career. A 6’11” point guard, he can guard anybody on the floor.
He also has averaged 8.1 rebounds per game in his career as a point guard, further showcasing his wide-ranging skillset.
He’s averaged 15.9 points per game in his time in the NBA so far, which isn’t great. That being said, he’s a great passer, and has dropped 7.7 dimes per contest.
At his size, he can facilitate the offense from many different places on the court. The Clippers wouldn’t even need to start a traditional big man, as they sometimes prefer not to do, if they had Simmons. They’d have a built-in (almost) seven footer who would tower over the opposing team’s point guard (or maybe their whole roster).