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The Brooklyn Nets might be moving on from Kyrie Irving in the off-season. One trade partner they may want to consider is the Philadelphia 76ers, who could offer Ben Simmons to the Nets.
Ben Simmons, an All-Star talent, saw his stock plummet after failing to help the Sixers advance to the Western Conference Finals last Sunday. The series exposed the three-time All-Star’s weaknesses, highlighted by his hesitancy to shoot the ball even when presented with a wide-open dunk.
If the Sixers should somehow receive a phone call from the Nets, it’s not out of the realms of possibility that Philly would be willing to listen to a Ben Simmons offer.
Kyrie Irving trade rumors
According to recent NBA trade rumors, the Brooklyn Nets would be open to trade Kyrie Irving in the off-season. The report comes from Matt Sullivan, author of “Can’t Knock the Hustle: Inside the Season of Protest, Pandemic and Progress with the Brooklyn Nets’ Superstars of Tomorrow.”
Sullivan shared this on the Celtics Lab podcast:
“Brooklyn GM Sean Marks would maybe, possibly, apparently be willing to at least listen to a trade offer for Kyrie this off-season.”
Because of 'Kyrie Irving’s pause' during the regular season when he took a surprise leave of absence, the Nets ownership apparently got upset.
If the Brooklyn Nets are open to fielding offers for Kyrie Irving this summer, they should make the first move and give the Philadelphia 76ers a call. After years of trying to reach the NBA Finals with the Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons pairing, the Sixers may be ready to move on and try something different.
Matching salaries and other considerations
Kyrie Irving is set to make $34.9 million in 2021-22, while Ben Simmons will be earning $33 million. The salaries are an excellent match, but there might be a few other factors that could come into play.
Firstly, Kyrie Irving is 29 and more than four years older than Ben Simmons, who will turn 25 this July. That age difference might prompt the Sixers to ask for a bit more in compensation, considering the Nets guard’s injury history, especially at this stage in his career. The Nets may counter that by saying they would need a lot of work with Simmons to get him championship-ready. Nevertheless, the two teams should be able to work out the details of who should add what and to whom.
Secondly, the fact that 2021 Defensive Player of the Year candidate Ben Simmons did a lot to make Philly successful may cause them to pause for a bit, as they will have to restructure their defense (No. 2 in the 2020-21 regular season) to adapt to Kyrie Irving’s strengths and weaknesses. Interestingly, Irving actually has the highest defensive win share on his team (1.6).
Considering the same and possibly other factors, there are plenty of reasons why this trade should work for both teams.
No off-court drama with Ben Simmons; fits the Brooklyn Nets on the court
If the Brooklyn Nets don’t want any off-court drama, Ben Simmons would be ideal for them. The 6' 11" guard comes to work every day and will not have issues with the media or be involved in any controversies like Kyrie Irving has in the past few years.
More importantly, Ben Simmons would fit seamlessly on the court with superstars Kevin Durant and James Harden. Simmons would allow Harden to go back to being a high-volume scorer along with Durant without worrying about getting everyone else involved.
Durant, the ultimate plug-and-play player, would not be affected at all. In fact, he’ll have to worry less about knowing whether he will get the ball in offense or not, as Ben Simmons is a willing passer.
Ben Simmons’ presence would also improve the Nets’ perimeter defense tremendously. He would solve all sorts of problems for this team that it’s almost a no-brainer for the Nets not to consider a trade like this.
Though Ben Simmons has work to do in the off-season regarding his shooting, both at the line and from the perimeter, he has a coach in Steve Nash who can help him work through his problems both in terms of mechanics and technique.
Nash would no doubt love to work with Ben Simmons.
Kyrie Irving - a welcome scoring option for the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers have a small championship window because of Embiid’s health and the fact that he’s in his prime at 27. The time to win a title for the organization is now. Kyrie Irving, a one-time NBA champion, would help guide the 7' 0" center to the Promised Land.
The Sixers were only 14th in the league in scoring during the 2020-21 season, with 113.6 points per game. Embiid (28.5 points per game) was the only 20-point scorer on the team, with Tobias Harris just missing the cut at 19.5 per contest. They need another scorer on the team if they want to climb to the top ten in scoring next season.
Kyrie Irving, who averaged 26.9 points a night, would solve a lot of their offensive issues. During the best-of-seven series against the Atlanta Hawks, Embiid needed another reliable scorer to kick out to other than Seth Curry. Irving would have been an excellent passing option for Embiid had they been teammates during the time.
A 2020-21 3rd Team All-NBA member, Kyrie Irving, gives the Sixers another shot creator who is not afraid of the big moment, having scored the championship-clinching basket for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
The Verdict
The Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers shouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on this deal. A Kyrie Irving for Ben Simmons trade would benefit both teams immensely and give both the players involved fresh starts.
If the Nets and the Sixers decide that they want a change in their approach to winning a championship next season, they would mutually benefit from a swap of Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, who could change their fortunes in the immediate future.
Also Read: Should the Philadelphia 76ers blow up the team in the 2021 off-season?
