Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers are each prime trade candidates. Beal is a likely free agent this coming offseason (he has a player option in his contract for the 2022-23 NBA season), and the Wizards are putting together another monotonous season. Meanwhile, the 76ers are playing well without Simmons, as the two sides look to find a resolution to their ongoing standstill.
David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic report that the 76ers would be interested in trading Simmons for Beal, as long as they don’t have to include Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle. Indeed, the 76ers are an ideal trade destination for Beal, but the same goes for Simmons and the Wizards, too.
Here’s why a straight-up trade of Bradley Beal for Ben Simmons makes sense for both the Wizards and 76ers.
Washington Wizards retool around Ben Simmons
The Wizards have a lot of talent and depth, but, as previously alluded to, not enough wins. With Beal presumably a free agent after this season, Simmons represents a way for the Wizards to get a player of substantial status for the homegrown guard, rather than run the risk of losing him for nothing or getting far less in a potential sign-and-trade this offseason. Furthermore, Simmons would be a savvy way for the Wizards to rework their roster.
Yes, Simmons has limitations, which include a lacking jump shot and bizarre track record of being passive offensively in the playoffs. On the other hand, he does literally everything else well.
Simmons is a highly effective, two-way player. He scores off the dribble, is a cunning passer, a stout defender and hits the boards at a high level. At 6-foot-11, Simmons is a force to be reckoned with in both transition and fastbreak situations and a menace covering guards.
A subsequent move to the Wizards acquiring Simmons would likely be them moving Spencer Dinwiddie, as the latter is a primary ball-handler. Washington gives Simmons the chance to be their franchise centerpiece, giving his NBA career new life while he enhances the play of those around him.
- Ben Simmons stats (career): 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 56.0/14.7/59.7
There’s plenty of scoring and raw talent in head coach Wes Unseld Jr.’s rotation. Kyle Kuzma is a versatile and proven scorer. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a steady shooter and scorer. Daniel Gafford is a sturdy, inside player on both ends of the floor. Rui Hachimura has showcased an ability to be a vital source of offense. Deni Avdija is capable of running the fastbreak and making an impact on the offensive end. Rookie Corey Kispert is a capable shooter.
Simmons runs the point, attacks the rack and takes some attention off others given his explosiveness. Him being a multidimensional player, specifically one not reliant on his scoring ability, creates opportunity for some of Washington’s younger players like Kispert, Avdija and to a degree Hachimura to find their niche in the team’s offense.
This trade provides clarity for the Wizards’ future.
Philadelphia 76ers get a co-star in Bradley Beal
The 76ers are 31-19 this season with Simmons absent for every one of their contests. They have the chance to move a player who isn’t present for one of the NBA’s premier scorers in Beal.
Surely, the 76ers are an Eastern Conference contender and adding a player of Beal’s caliber is a challenge for team chemistry in the short term. On the other hand, trading for Beal before the NBA trade deadline, rather than waiting until the offseason, where teams more desperate than Philadelphia could strike a deal, is more prudent for the 76ers. Plus, Beal would be an incredible pickup for head coach Doc Rivers’ rotation.
Beal is a star. He gets inside off the dribble with ease, sinks outside jump shots at a respectable level and is an efficient passer. This is a franchise player, someone a team can run their offense through. Of course, Beal is in the midst of a rough season for his standards. But if a bad version of Beal is him scoring roughly 23 points per game, that says something about his game.
For the better part of the last five years, Beal has been the number one scoring option for the Wizards. With the 76ers, he’d be their second scorer/1b source of offense alongside Joel Embiid. The two players would feed off each other. Beal attracts attention out on the perimeter, taking some eyeballs away from Embiid scoring all over the floor. Defenses have to equally monitor the perimeter and interior because the two stars are electric and elite forces in their own right.
- Bradley Beal stats (2021-22): 23.2 points, 6.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1/30.0/83.3
While Embiid and Beal run the show, the 76ers have several highly productive and reliable players who become all the more dangerous. Tobias Harris is a proven scorer. Maxey is a budding star. Seth Curry and Shake Milton provide consistent scoring and shooting. Andre Drummond is money around the basket and a rebounding machine. Georges Niang, Furkan Korkmaz and Danny Green all provide some level of scoring whether it be slashing or stretching the floor.
Initially, trading a dormant player for a star in his prime sounds lopsided. In reality, though, Simmons, 25, would be returning to action in a new environment and offer the Wizards an impact player who is a premier return for a star who may leave in free agency, anyway.
Concerning value, the 76ers shouldn’t have to move Maxey, Thybulle or anyone else: Beal is essentially an impending free agent and therefore shouldn’t have to cost a team half its roster via trade.
