NBA Trade Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings discussed a Ben Simmons-De'Aaron Fox swap

Ben Simmons' future with the Philadelphia 76ers remains in doubt, with the latest NBA trade rumors linking him to the Sacramento Kings. The Sixers are sticking by Simmons for the time being, but president Daryl Morey is bound to listen to offers coming his way.

One such offer was floated by the Sacramento Kings. As per Fred Ennette of Heavy.com, the Kings offered a deal built around Buddy Hield for Ben Simmons, but the Philadelphia 76ers were interested in De'Aaron Fox instead.

Per NBA source Kings and Sixers have had preliminary talks on a deal that would send Ben Simmons to Sacramento for De’Aaron Fox. Kings first offer was centered around Buddy Hield, unclear if Fox is on the table yet but the Sixers remain engaged at the prospect of a Fox-Embiid duo
— Ghetto Othello (@_Ricasso) July 5, 2021

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Even though Ben Simmons was drafted in 2016, his rookie season coincided with that of De'Aaron Fox, who was the fifth pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Simmons has been selected as an All-Star thrice and made the playoffs in each of his active years in the NBA, while Fox is still hoping to end the Sacramento Kings' playoff drought.

NBA Trade Rumors: Does a Ben Simmons-De'Aaron Fox swap make sense for Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings?

Pairing De'Aaron Fox with Joel Embiid makes a ton of sense for the Philadelphia 76ers. They'd miss out on Ben Simmons' defense but will replace it with Fox's scoring ability. The latter averaged a career-high 25.2 points in addition to 7.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game during the 2021-22 season.

De'Aaron Fox really had Zion and Lonzo lost 🤭(via @SacramentoKings)pic.twitter.com/lIj956YSBS
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 2, 2021

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As the original tweet mentions, though, it's hard to say if Fox is on the table. He's clearly a fan-favorite and his contract is more palatable than Simmons', although both players are on a max deal.

The Sacramento Kings are likelier to part with Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley in a trade for Ben Simmons. If the Kings throw in their No.9 pick for the 2021 Draft into the mix, convincing the Philadelphia 76ers could become easier.

This trade would leave the Kings with an awkward backcourt, though, unless they plan on using Simmons as a power forward. In that case, the Australian's defense and rebounding ability would make him a good fit.

Again, it's hard to imagine that the Sacramento Kings would be open to parting ways with De'Aaron Fox. We'll have to wait and see if an actual trade can be finalized through further discussions between the two franchises.

Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers rejected an offer from Indiana Pacers for Ben Simmons