Philadelphia 76ers: Trading Ben Simmons could mean taking a step back

Trading Ben Simmons could equate to taking a step back for the Philadelphia 76ers.

After a disappointing ending to the season, in which they lost in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs as the top seed, it’s no surprise that the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to shake up their roster.

One popular avenue to accomplish that comes in the way of trading Ben Simmons, who simply has not excelled as a running mate next to Joel Embiid through the first few seasons of his career. However, the Sixers need to tread carefully.

Trading Simmons could equate to the team taking a step back. Especially if the team can’t find an ideal all-star in exchange for Simmons on the trade market. It’s reported that the team will be seeking an all-star caliber player in any Simmons trade, but there’s no clear fit on the open market at the moment.

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And if the Sixers end up trading Simmons on a discount, which they might have to end up doing especially with all the trade rumors that have been swirling since the end of the season, it could mean that the team will take a step back next season.

For all his faults, Simmons is still one of the best young players in the NBA. He’s still one of the best wing defenders in the league, one of the best shot creators on the offensive end, and can be overwhelming when he’s engaged as an individual attacker.

Even though he fell short of expectations in the playoffs this season, losing Simmons won’t be an easy thing to overcome for the Sixers. Simmons is coming off a season in which he averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists per game. But let’s also not overlook his contributions on the other end as well.

Simmons was a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate this past season and offers so much more as a young player, something that perhaps the Sixers might not be able to get in any potential trade.

Simmons is one of the best two-way guards in the league and it’s unlikely that the Sixers will be able to find a player that will be able to fill that void that Simmons is going to leave. At the same rate, even if the Sixers get an offensively charged guard, any player that Philadelphia gains likely won’t be the overall – and complete – player that Simmons is at this point in his career.

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Despite his faults in the big moments, Simmons is generally one of the most complete players in the league. The Sixers are probably not going to get that in any trade for Simmons. If Philadelphia believes that improving the roster will only come with trading Simmons, perhaps they should rethink about the real possibility of how it could ultimately mean taking a step back before taking a step forward.