Mail-It-In Mailbag: Favor Picks or Win-Now Players In A Simmons Trade?
What’s the best way to get the best value?
Adam Aaronson, whose legal name is Sixers Adam (@SixersAdam on Twitter), covers the Sixers for The Rights To Ricky Sanchez. He has been legally banned from covering the team in person, and when that ban was set to be lifted, Covid-19 struck. He believes cantaloupe is the best food in existence, and is brought to you by the Official Realtor of The Process, Adam Ksebe.
Let’s be honest with ourselves: there’s only one question in the Sixers universe that any of us want the answer to: what on earth is going to happen with Ben Simmons?
After another embarrassing playoffs for Simmons on the offensive end of the floor, the Sixers finally set out to trade their multi-time All-Star for a player -- or players -- who can help the Sixers become a more formidable postseason team.
However, another wrinkle has emerged: as he’s being shopped, Simmons and his camp have, by all accounts, checked out of Philadelphia. Not only does Simmons want to be dealt, but he is reportedly willing to skip training camp in order to expedite the process by putting extra pressure on the Sixers.
There is an endless sea of questions that need answering. You know what that means: a mail-it-in mailbag!
From Dan: Are you more concerned about replacing Ben’s defense or his playmaking?
This is a great question. While everyone acknowledges Simmons’ defensive excellence at this juncture, it still feels like people are underrating the hit the Sixers would take on that end if they trade him. The offensive fit is so wonky and, frankly, untenable. But Simmons fits like a glove in the Sixers defense that is anchored by Joel Embiid.
So, I’d have to say his defense. Danny Green is a positive defensive player, but with major athletic regression already having hit, he should not be a team’s best perimeter defender. Tobias Harris improved a bunch as a defender, but is far from a stopper.
The Sixers will be a very good defensive team for as long as they have Embiid (in fact, they will always be a good team overall). But I think Simmons’ contributions on the defensive end will be sorely missed, more so than his offensive production (especially when assuming the Sixers would get a lead guard in return for Simmons).
From Mike: Willing to take a lesser haul for Ben that includes more picks/swaps?
In a word? No.
One could make a compelling argument that as they trade Simmons, the Sixers could gain the most raw value by attaining as many draft picks and pick swaps as they can. And that may be true, depending on how these negotiations play out.
Here’s why I would still decline in pursuit of more short-term value: Embiid turns 28 in March, he’s coming off an MVP-caliber season, and given his injury history, it has never been a guarantee that he has a long prime at all.
I say all of this to say: at this point, the Sixers need to do everything they can to assist Embiid in the short-term, and increase his chances to lead them to the promised land.
From Dan Kelly: How far can the Sixers go with no Ben trade and him sitting out (regular season standing + playoff ceiling)?
For all of our sake, I pray that we don’t get to this point. But if the Sixers fail to make a deal involving Simmons, and Ben responds by backing up his words and sitting out, the Sixers would be a completely different team.
First of all, the Sixers would be handing over the keys to a second-year player in Tyrese Maxey and third-year Shake Milton. As exciting of a prospect as Maxey is, and as valuable as Milton can be when he’s amid a hot streak, that is a recipe for failure if your hopes are to win a championship.
That’s before getting to the aforementioned defensive hit the Sixers will take when they move Simmons.
The truth is unpleasant: if Ben Simmons was to sit out, the Sixers have no chance of contending for a championship. Even if he himself is not the solution to the team’s problems, just subtracting him from the rotation with no reinforcements would be an absolute disaster.
So, let’s hope Daryl Morey has a trick up his sleeve that he uses in the next three weeks, before training camp madness ensues.