The Indiana Pacers reportedly offered to trade Malcolm Brogdon and a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons.
The 76ers either rejected the trade with the Pacers because they intend to keep Simmons, or they want to try to extract more than what’s currently on the table aside from Brogdon and the #13 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
The Pacers recently hired Rick Carlisle after he stepped away from the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs are struggling through their own internal strife, whereas the Pacers are trying to move forward after a disastrous season with rookie head coach Nate Bjorkgren.
Trade Brodgon for Simmons?
Brogdon averaged a career-high 21.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game with the Pacers last season. He shot 38.6% from 3-point range over his five-season career, but most importantly, he’s a career 88.7% free-throw shooter. Brogdon isn’t as strong of a defender as Simmons, but he can shoot the rock, which is something the 76ers desperately need.
Simmons averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game with the 76ers last season. He was regarded as their top defender and one of the best defensive players in the NBA. However, his inability to score in crunch time inevitably led the 76ers to an early exit in the postseason, despite the fact they secured the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Simmons is a career 59.7% free-throw shooter, but he averaged 34.2% in the postseason, including 32.7% in the East semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. He shot 25-for-73 from the free-throw line in the playoffs and missed 48 shots from the charity stripe.
Summer of Simmons
Simmons opted out of playing in the Tokyo Olympics for Australia, but he was recently spotted canoodling in the stands at Wimbledon with new girlfriend Maya Jama, who’s a presenter for the BBC.
Simmons recently made headlines after he plopped down $17.5 million to buy a house in the Hidden Hills in Los Angeles, high above the City of Angels. When word got out about his pricey real estate transaction, rumors began to swirl that the Lakers were going to trade for Simmons.
Simmons’ agent had a lengthy meeting with the 76ers and straight-up asked general manager Daryl Morey to trade Simmons before the NBA Draft. The 76ers said they intend to stick with Simmons, but strongly advised he do something with his janky shooting motion.
The left-handed Simmons has an awful outside shot and he struggled from the free-throw line in the playoffs. Simmons was so spooked by his poor shooting from the charity stripe that he even passed up a wide-open dunk for fear of getting fouled and having to shoot free throws. Fans in Philly were apoplectic, and many of them wanted Simmons traded on the spot. But with his liabilities magnified for the world to see, the 76ers don’t have a slew of teams rushing to secure Simmons’ services.
The Portland Trail Blazers were mentioned in trade rumors, with the Blazers sending CJ McCollum to the 76ers in exchange for Simmons. That makes sense if the Blazers want to gut the team and start over, but they’d also have to trade Damian Lillard as well. Lillard indicated he wants to retire in Portland, which makes this deal problematic.
📸 @BenSimmons25 and @MayaJama in the Centre Court crowd for Manic Monday#Wimbledon | @RalphLauren pic.twitter.com/QdUrN4Cr0T
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2021
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