The 2019-20 NBA season is not over but there are teams likely planning their next moves this offseason. Two of those teams are the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers. Of the two, the Dubs have had a longer time to plan, failing to make it to the playoffs after a spate of bad luck.
The Warriors are in rebuild mode but the good news is that most of its starters are likely to be back when the 2020-21 NBA season gets underway. To recall, Klay Thompson sat out the season why Stephen Curry played sparingly due to injuries. Draymond Green was the lone player to hold up the fort. Steve Kerr did add Andrew Wiggins, someone they got in exchange for D’Angelo Russell. With these four players, all the Dubs may need is someone who can play inside. Could that guy be Ben Simmons?
Before that, the Sixers are in no better shape. They lost badly in the playoffs, resulting in the firing of Brett Brown. Doc Rivers was hired to take over, someone who was also fired when the Clippers bungled a 1-3 lead. Now he inherits a team that needs to find ways of winning and getting over the hump.
When Philly is mentioned, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid come to mind. Of the two, the former has been criticized for his lack of outside shooting. Though he has been trying, the efforts of the former top pick are not enough. Rivers is not completely giving up on Simmons although anything can happen.
“Individuals can create scoring and Ben is proven that he is a guy that can create scoring. Whether that is him doing it or creating scoring for everyone else on the team,” Rivers said in a report from USA Today. “This is what I know about Ben: he’s an All-Star, he’s an All-Defensive player, and the games that he and Joel play together, they win 65% of the time.”
The Sixers need a shooter, something they are expected to target in the free-agent market. But if their search falls short, trading for someone who can light up the scoreboard could be a recourse. And a likely casualty is Simmons if he continues to struggle in shooting.
The Warriors could be a plausible landing spot for Simmons. The team has a lot of outside shooters, including Wiggins. Though Kerr speaks highly of the top pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, he could be worth giving up in place of Simmons. The only problem is that sending Simmons alone would not cut it considering the high salary that Wiggins carries.
Philly may send Simmons and some of its other players in a package for Wiggins. With Philly on rebuild mode, Rivers could pluck out players he may not need. No names have been mentioned but a straight out trade is out of the question.
