The Cavaliers continue to pester the Sixers about a Ben Simmons deal and Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com has some insight on what the team may offer.
The Cavaliers have no “untouchables” in trade talks, sources tell Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Fedor notes that while every player is theoretically on the table in the right deal, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland are unlikely to be moved.
The talk about Garland being on the table in trade talks isn’t new. Mobley’s status, however, is quite interesting. While Mobley wouldn’t help the Sixers, the 2021 No. 3 overall is the kind of blue-chip prospect who could be a centerpiece of a trade for an All-Star.
Prior to the draft, Mobley was coy when asked about which teams he worked out for. It’s very possible that a team (or several teams) requested that he decline to disclose his workouts schedule. Is it possible that one of those teams had scouted the USC big man with an eye on trading for him in the near future?
If the Cavs don’t include Mobley or Garland, the potential nucleus of a Simmons trade idles at a package of Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, and future first-round picks. If Philadelphia opts for such a package in a trade with Cleveland, the team would want no protections on the first-rounders they receive, Fedor hears. The Sixers’ goals would be to flip the assets for an All-Star caliber player at the trade deadline.
Philly would still need to add salary filler to such a deal and Kevin Love‘s contract (owned nearly $31 million this year) aligns with Simmons’ $33 million 2021-22 salary. The team’s win-now mentality may lend it to acquiring Love as a positive, though as Fedor notes most of the league still views Love as a negative asset because of his contract.
The Sixers aren’t at the point where they are seriously contemplating such an offer yet and they may not get there.
The front office believes Ben Simmons will show up at some point before the season and Daryl Morey & Co. are expected to make further attempts to rebuild the bridge between Simmons and the team—regardless of how awkward it may be and regardless of whether or not any play-nice arrangement is just a temporary measure to wait out the market on Simmons.
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