[brid autoplay=”true” video=”809588″ player=”23231″ title=”Chris%20Mannix%20calls%20for%20the%20Sixers%20to%20trade%20Ben%20Simmons%20after%20the%20loss%20to%20Trae%20Young%20and%20the%20Hawks” duration=”100″ description=”Carolyn Manno asks Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated about the future of Ben Simmons with the Philadelphia 76ers following his rough performance in the team’s second-round loss to the Atlanta Hawks.” uploaddate=”2021-06-22″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/thumb/809588_t_1624392684.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/sd/809588.mp4″]
The Golden State Warriors have been linked to Philadelphia 76ers star point guard Ben Simmons over the past several weeks.
That’s been taken to a whole new level recently with news that Simmons has requested a trade from the 76ers and will not report to training camp in less than a month if he’s not moved.
For Simmons and the 76ers, this has been a drawn-out process after they were eliminated in the second round of the NBA Playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks. Simmons, 25, struggled big time during Philadelphia’s playoff run. Meanwhile, things have spiraled out of control behind the scenes between the three-time All-Star and his organization.
As for the Golden State Warriors, they were engaged in trade talks with Philadelphia ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft. Led by no-nonsense front office head, the 76ers demanded way too much for Golden State to pull the trigger.
It now looks like things could be picking back up in this regard. At the very least, Las Vegas seems to think so.
MGM sets odds to land Ben Simmons
- Golden State Warriors: +300
- Minnesota Timberwolves: +400
- Sacramento Kings: +600
- San Antonio Spurs: +800
- Toronto Raptors: +800
It’s not a surprise that Minnesota and Sacramento join Golden State on the short list. Both have been very active in trade talks for Simmons with the former especially intrigued with the idea of landing the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year finalist.
As for the Kings, reports earlier in the summer indicated that Simmons preferred to be traded to three California teams.
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That included the Warriors, Kings and Los Angeles Clippers. They also have assets to offer up Philadelphia, including star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley and future first-round picks. Meanwhile, the Clippers come in with +1600 odds to land Simmons. They simply don’t have the assets to pull off a trade of this ilk after acquiring Eric Bledsoe earlier in the summer.
What would a Ben Simmons trade to the Golden State Warriors look like?
Philadelphia’s initial asking price for Simmons was absurd. It included both of the Warriors’ first-round picks in 2021, which ended up being Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. Said demand also included Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman and two future first-round picks.
Given that Simmons is seemingly making his trade demand public record through the media, there’s a chance that the 76ers will end up negotiating from a disadvantage the closer we get to the start of the regular season next month. But that’s purely hypothetical on our part.
The larger question here is whether Simmons is a fit with the Golden State Warriors. He’d move from his non-traditional point guard position to the frontcourt, teaming up with Draymond Green in the process. While the two are elite defenders, they leave a lot to be desired on the other end of the court. This has Golden State’s brass split on whether to team Simmons up with Green moving forward.