NBA Rumors: Celtics-76ers discussing Jaylen Brown, Ben Simmons swap?
NBA Rumors: The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are discussing a Jaylen Brown for Ben Simmons swap.
The Philadelphia 76ers may be off to a strong start to the season, and they’re sitting atop the Eastern Conference, but their situation with Ben Simmons is still very much unresolved. And The Athletic’s Sham Charania said as much is so in his latest update (subscription required).
Interestingly enough, as he continues to lay out the difficulties that are between the Sixers and Simmons, he also added a tidbit that will likely get the NBA blogosphere riled up – Charania mentioned that the Celtics are engaged on trade talks with the Sixers regarding Simmons.
Objectively speaking, any deal between the two teams would likely have to include Jaylen Brown. Whether or not that’s a swap that’s on the table or if it has been discussed remains to be seen, but that’s almost automatically a starting point for any legit trade discussions between the two teams.
It’s difficult to gauge whether this is a tangible story that has legs or if this was just a passer-by type of call; like, perhaps Brad Stevens called Daryl Morey and checked on the asking price and then hung up. We don’t know.
Perhaps there are some real conversations taking place behind closed doors. At this point, it’s too early to tell what this report should tell us. Other than the fact that it’s an interesting one.
On the surface, a Brown for Simmons swap would actually be quite interesting. Brown would give the Sixers that type of offensive firepower from the guard position that they desire and Simmons would give the Celtics a legit playmaker from the point guard position that they haven’t had in a really long time.
Of course, it’s never really easy as that. The Celtics likely truly value Brown and perhaps they’re not as high on Simmons as the Sixers are; the same could be said about the Sixers.
Plus, Brown is currently nursing a hamstring injury that could keep him out for weeks. That could also be a factor in any potential substantial talks between the two teams.
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Nevertheless, this is another twist that has been thrown in the Simmons aga. The Celtics have gotten off to a bad start – they’re 4-6 – and perhaps they’re looking to make a big change? The question is, does the franchise believe in Simmons that much to punt on Brown’s potential? Additionally, is Brown the type of player that would appease the Sixers in any trade package?