NBA: Moves that East playoff teams need to make to take a step forward

Philadelphia 76ers: Trade Ben Simmons

Losing to a heavy underdog in the Atlanta Hawks is one thing, but the way the No. 1 seeded 76ers did it is even more frustrating. The Sixers blew an 18-point lead in Game 4, a 26 point fourth-quarter lead in Game 5, and capped it off with a loss on their home court in Game 7.

Former All-Star Ben Simmons averaged 9.9 points per game on an NBA-low 33.3 percent(!) free-throw shooting. He didn’t even attempt a field goal in the fourth quarter in five of the seven games. This made him unplayable in the fourth quarter of these critical games.

This is only a piece of Philadelphia’s larger problem. Embiid and Simmons just don’t fit well together. Simmons has shown the inability (and unwillingness) to shoot in his short time in the NBA and therefore spends most of his time in the paint, clogging the lane for Embiid.

General manager Daryl Morey seems to have realized this and the 76ers are shopping Simmons, even with his value at an all-time low. Trading him looks to be a foregone conclusion. If they get a better-fitting All-Star back in return, the Sixers may be able to finally finish “The Process.”