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Guard Ben Simmons' impending move away from the Philadelphia 76ers seemingly came close to being a reality as the 76ers considered doing business with the Atlanta Hawks.
According to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype, the 76ers and Hawks nearly struck a deal which would have resulted in Simmons teaming up with Hawks star guard Trae Young. Scotto said:
"The 76ers and Hawks briefly kicked around a trade of Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris for John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, league sources told HoopsHype. However, those talks stalled quickly, with Atlanta uninterested in Harris and unlikely to be able to flip him to a third team."
Scotto explained the hesitation from the Hawks to include the 76ers forward Tobias Harris in the deal given his massive salary. Harris makes $76 million over the next two seasons. Scotto said:
"It's really tough to combine those two salaries, and Atlanta certainly recognized that."
Should the Hawks make a move for the Philadelphia 76ers superstar?
Ben Simmons, at his very best, is potentially an MVP caliber player and arguably the best defensive player in the league.
There is a reason why he is dubbed the second coming of LeBron James, if he can develop a threat from beyond the arc (or even a midrange game). Simmons is shooting 14.7% for his career and has gone 0-for-2 in 34 playoff games from 3-point range. He's also a career 59.7% free-throw shooter. It's a big "if" at the moment, but a trade partner would still get a very good player.
The Hawks could use someone of the ilk of the Australian given his size, frame and defensive prowess. Atlanta is 27th in the league in defensive rating, one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA.
If the Hawks add someone like Simmons, they exponentially become better defensively. Simmons is someone who can guard all five positions seamlessly and can almost make up for the defensive deficiencies of one player. Simmons, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft, made the All-Defensive team twice in the four seasons he has played.
Offensively, the 76ers star could also free up Trae Young and the workload he carries nightly for the Hawks. Simmons is an expert ball-handler and has been one of the leading players in the league since he made his debut in creating open looks for his teammates. Young could become a spot-up shooter when necessary and focus on being a scorer rather than an orchestrator.
With all that said, with the Hawks struggling this season, there is no harm in trying to put Young and Simmons on the same team and see how things work out.
Guess the Lakers players!
