Does a world exist where the Philadelphia 76ers trade Ben Simmons to the Dallas Mavericks in the offseason?
Over the past weeks, Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons has been drawing a ton of flak after his subpar performance in the playoffs which led to his team's disappointing second-round exit. Due to his shooting woes and struggles on the floor, the 24-year-old was eventually caught in countless trade rumors involving multiple teams across the league.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks also found themselves in the same situation after suffering an early elimination in the postseason. Though they managed to put up an impressive fight in the series against the Los Angeles Clippers, it was evident how Luka Doncic didn't get much help from the weapons around him.
After failing to overcome the hump, the Mavericks now face a busy offseason in order to revamp their roster and eventually manage to put up a strong playoff push moving forward. A player that they could target is Ben Simmons whose value already plummeted and would also benefit from a much-needed change of scenery for the first time in his career.
Here is a trade that could work for both sides:
Mavericks trade Kristaps Porzingis and Trey Burke for Ben Simmons
Much like Simmons, Kristaps Porzingis also struggled mightily in the recent postseason. His meager numbers of 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in seven playoff games proved to be too underwhelming to be even considered as the second star behind Doncic.
Though for Porzingis, dealing with numerous injuries in the past seasons could be a major reason for his failure to get a good rhythm in the playoffs. Additionally, people have also second-guessed his relationship with Doncic which might have turned murky, especially in the latter stages of the 2020-21 season.
Truth be told, it's a no-brainer for the Mavericks to trade away Porzingis in order to keep Doncic happy and encourage him to stay in Dallas, if the rumors turned out to be true. Relocating to Philadelphia which has an MVP-caliber player in Joel Embiid as well as a serviceable veteran in Dwight Howard in the center rotation will certainly push Porzingis to keep up with the competition and get back to his old playing form.
To add, the Mavericks will also be shipping Trey Burke to the 76ers which will give Doc Rivers an underrated playmaker who can make his own shots and set up plays for his teammates on the floor. In return, Dallas will be receiving Simmons who needs to turn over a new leaf, similar to Porzingis.
Despite his recent struggles, many tend to forget that the Australian is still a talented player and a three-time All-Star at that. Though his shooting touch had gone cold, Simmons remains to be a huge asset on defense as proven by his candidacy for the 2020-21 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Due to the low confidence that he has in his shot-making abilities, Simmons can also consider a switch to the four position. Him being able to bang bodies in the paint and grab rebounds would be of tremendous help to a Mavericks side that has been known to have a thin frontline rotation.
Regardless of the position, it can't be denied that Ben Simmons would need to put in the necessary work in order to reach the high ceiling that many projected him to have in his career. If he could make the proper adjustments and get his confidence back then it wouldn't be a surprise for him to emerge as a valuable piece for the Mavericks and serve as a contributor for their title hopes in the future.
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