The Sixers remain hopeful that they can pull off a trade for a superstar this summer and Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer relays that the franchise is still angling for an opportunity to land Damian Lillard.
Rumors of Lillard’s discontent with Portland recently surfaced and while it’s best not to put too much stock into the rumor mill, Philadelphia is among the best-positioned teams to pull off a trade for the All-Star point guard should he look for a way out of the Northwest.
One former assistant GM recently told FortyEightMinutes that Ben Simmons‘ value around the league will likely allow the Sixers to put together a more competitive package in a trade for a star than most other teams, including one from New Orleans that includes Brandon Ingram.
Assuming Lillard will be on the move (which is a big if), the Clippers loom as a threat. Kawhi Leonard, who remains likely to re-sign with Los Angeles, previously indicated his desire to play alongside Lillard, placing the point guard on his list of stars that he wanted to team up with upon joining the Clippers. Swapping Paul George for Lillard only makes sense for both franchises if Portland is indeed willing to find Lillard a new home and wants to remain as competitive as possible. However, if Portland preferred to get younger with blue-chip prospects and picks, Los Angeles would be outbid by the Sixers among others.
It’s not certain that the noise of Lillard being disgruntled is something the two sides can’t easily get past. Even so, in the event that it escalates, the Blazers aren’t required to move Lillard, who has four years remaining on his contract. Still, Daryl Morey & Co. remain ready to pounce should the opportunity present itself.
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Timberwolves Among Teams Eyeing Ben Simmons
The Timberwolves “badly” want to trade for Sixers forward Ben Simmons, as we recently relayed.
Simmons has essentially become public enemy number one in Philadelphia after his poor performance in their recent playoff series against the Hawks, as he failed to crack double figures in scoring during the last three games of the series, only attempting as many as six shots in one of those games.
The Simmons, Joel Embiid pairing may no longer be a great core to build around, as Embiid tends to clog the paint with his post-scoring abilities, especially on pull-up mid-range jumpers.
In Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns is the complete opposite. Towns gets significantly more offense from 3-point range than Embiid, especially on the catch and shoot.
