The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to be interested in Ben Simmons.
As the Ben Simmons saga continues with just a few weeks until the start of NBA training camps, the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to reports, continue to be one team that is keeping a close eye on his trade market.
Even though Simmons and his camp have continued to push for a trade, and apparently much harder in the last few weeks, there has been no reported traction between the Philadelphia 76ers and any other team regarding a deal.
Of course, there are likely conversations taking place behind closed doors but at this point, there’s no indication that a trade is on the horizon, or that one is even coming before the start of training camp.
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Nevertheless, over the next few weeks, all eyes will continue to be on the Sixers and a potential trade of Simmons. Could that team eventually be the Cavs? Perhaps.
What a Ben Simmons trade would look like for the Cleveland Cavaliers
It wouldn’t be surprising if the Cavs were willing to go all-in on a player such as Simmons (assuming he’d be willing to commit at least in the short team). Cleveland likely isn’t willing to put all its eggs in the Simmons basket but if the market isn’t as big as Philadelphia believes it could be, there’s no question that the Cavs could emerge as a realistic landing spot.
The big question is what exactly would a Simmons trade look like on behalf of the Cavs? Even though that’s not easy to answer, there are certain parameters that will almost have to be included for Cleveland to have a legit shot.
Let’s begin with the starting point of a trade. It will almost definitely have to start with Collin Sexton. That’s just the starting point.
After that, some draft compensation will have to be included. The Cavs have plenty of that, so that shouldn’t be an issue. It simply comes down to how many first-rounders the team is willing to part ways with.
Perhaps Cleveland could get away with simply offering two unprotected first-rounders, though that will be quite risky on their behalf. Just for argument’s sake, let’s say the Cavs will offer the 2023 and 2025 first-round picks (top 3 protected).
Then, the Cavs will have to match contracts to make the deal truly work. The only player on their roster that works is Kevin Love. Though, if that’s going to be the deal (especially without any other sweeteners, or getting a third team involved), the Cavs will likely have to add another first-round pick, remove all protections, or throw in some pick swaps.
One form of the deal, assuming it won’t be of the multi-team format, would be the following:
On the surface, that’s not a bad trade for either team – assuming the Sixers view Sexton as a long-term asset. However, without that knowledge in hand, it’s hard to predict whether this is a realistic scenario or not.
Though, if they do believe Sexton can be a long-term asset, the Sixers come away as winners in terms of draft compensation as well. If Cleveland is willing to mortgage their future for a core of Simmons, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Isaac Okoro, this becomes an interesting option.
But that’s the big question, whether Cleveland is willing to put all their eggs on the Simmons-Mobley-Garland-Okoro basket.