The Philadelphia 76ers are in a tough spot right now. Everybody knows that they’re shopping Ben Simmons, meaning that no one is willing to pay his actual price.
Simmons is incredibly talented and an impactful defender. And even though he hasn’t improved much throughout his career, he’s still far away from his ceiling.
But the fact that he’s open about his desire to leave and that Daryl Morey has reached out to multiple teams took a massive toll on his trade value.
That’s why Nick Wright believes that the best-case scenario for them would be to find an All-Star in return for Simmons. And trading for Kyrie Irving would be the best for them and the Brooklyn Nets:
“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 on First Things First.
Wright isn’t saying that’s about to happen or that there’s any kind of traction whatsoever.
If anything, we know that the Nets are pleased with Kyrie — even after his multiple absences last year.
Also, they won’t do anything to disrupt the chemistry in that locker room or infuriate Kevin Durant or James Harden. So we can pretty much rule out this move.
But from a basketball standpoint, it would be delightful for both teams.
The Sixers would get a scoring guard next to Joel Embiid and one of the best ball-handlers in the league. An Allen Iverson 2.0 to try and make another run at the NBA Finals.
The Nets would get a massive improvement on the defensive end. A plus defender that can guard one through five and put both Harden and Durant in a beneficial position on every single possession.
Sadly, that’s just wishful thinking.
