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Cleveland Cavaliers Could Be In Play To Acquire Ben Simmons
In hopes to shift the current status of the franchise, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who’ve had a disastrous season, took their shot and acquired former Pistons center Andre Drummond. Apparently, the Cavaliers aren’t looking to slow down yet and have begun searching for potential big fishes.
One big fish in particular is Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Ben Simmons. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers believe they have the pieces to make a haul for Simmons. They are said to be interested on Simmons who has the talent and versatility to turn the franchise around.
The Cavs, of course, would have interest in Simmons. He possesses the talent and versatility to immediately alter the team’s future. The Sixers would want a haul for the 2016 No. 1 pick who is locked up through 2023-24 and will probably be named to the All-Defense First Team. But the Cavs believe they have enough to assemble an enticing package, especially with recent first-rounders littering the roster, a top six pick coming in October and a future first from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Simmons has prospered on a team with a lot of spacing. With his point-forward skills, Simmons resembles a couple of LeBron James’ features who took the Cavaliers’ offense to the next level. If the Cavaliers see Simmons as a player to fill in LeBron’s role, then that could be a worthy-gamble.
However, a potential Simmons-Drummond pairing doesn’t appear to be ideal at all. Simmons doesn’t fit well with Embiid who lurks inside and is barely a floor-spacer, Drummond could be the same if not worse. There’s much to worry about in terms of fit unless they’re willing to build around Simmons and surround him with shooters just like they did with James.
It’s worth-nothing that this scenario will more-likely play out if the Sixers are very much open to break up the duo of Joel Embiid and Simmons which could be triggered by an early playoff exit. But it’s uncertain, at least for this year, since Simmons is reportedly set to undergo a surgery in his left knee and is out indefinitely.
Ben Simmons has helped the Sixers transition themselves from one of the worst teams to one of the most formidable teams in the NBA. The Sixers point guard has won Rookie of the Year and bagged two All-Star appearances in only three healthy seasons.
