Over the past few weeks, both the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets have endured controversies surrounding their best players, neither of which has seen the court this season.
And while the NBA community continues to draw up possible trade scenarios, one league executive thinks a player swap with each other makes sense.
“I would’ve said Philly legitimately made sense with the swap of Ben Simmons and Kyrie. That’s a team I could’ve seen who’s going for it and needs a scoring guard. That’s literally the only one I could see.”
Interestingly enough, sports broadcaster Nick Wright suggested the same trade on ‘First Things First.’
“I know this won’t happen, but as someone who has shorted the stock of the Nets, and been right, telling you right now Ben for Kyrie, if personalities weren’t a thing, basketball-wise, makes so much sense for Brooklyn, makes them an overwhelming favorite in the east. Overwhelming and maybe overwhelming favorite overall, but that’s not happening because of the relationships,” Wright said.
In Philly, the Sixers are 8-4 after 12 games, which has them 4th in the East. So, they’re doing well enough without Ben.
But if they can get a scorer and ball-handler like Kyrie Irving on their team, it could drastically tip the odds in their favor come playoff time. Irving, 29, averaged 26.9 points per game last season.
The Nets, meanwhile, are still managing high expectations with Kevin Durant and James Harden leading the show. It has become apparent, though, that they might need even more fire-power if they want to get through the ever-improving Eastern Conference.
Ben Simmons, who brings defense and playmaking to the floor, would help the Nets keep their status as title favorites. And while not as gifted as Kyrie offensively, he’s a much more dependable player.
In the end, it seems neither team is too keen on accepting the proposed deal. But when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense.
Perhaps, down the road, it might become more likely.
