Philadelphia 76ers Receive: G Collin Sexton, F Kevin Love, CLE 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #3), CLE 2023 1st Round Pick (Unprotected)
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: G/F Ben Simmons, PHI 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #28)
There have been talks about the Cleveland Cavaliers being interested in Ben Simmons as well this offseason and the main trade asset they have that has been talked about throughout the weeks is Collin Sexton. The young guard is arguably the Cavs’ best player, but he is entering the final year of his contract and Cleveland may not be able to afford to keep him long-term.
Who knows if the Philadelphia 76ers would want to keep him long-term or not either, but he is definitely a much better offensive talent than Ben Simmons is and probably ever will be. The only catch to this trade though is that they would likely have to take on the burden of Kevin Love’s contract.
Love is under contract for two more seasons at $60.2M in total, which is not favorable to any team he is on. Jason Lloyd of The Athletic talked about a similar trade proposal including both Sexton and Love going to the 76ers and claimed that there was “no chance” the Sixers would take Love, but the more and more you think about it, he would be a great fit next to Joel Embiid.
He is getting older and definitely not the All-Star talent he once was, but Kevin Love is still a knockdown three-point shooter at the power-forward position and he can still be a decent rebounder. The 2020-21 season was not favorable to him due to injuries, but just last year during the 2019-20 season, Love averaged 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and shot 37.4% from three-point range.
READ MORE: NBA Rumors: Ranking most likely superstars to be in trade this offseason
Taking on his contract is obviously the main reason why the 76ers would not want Kevin Love, but realistically, from a pure talent perspective, this trade is not that bad for the Sixers and it could help their chances of winning a title. After all, Love has won a title before and Collin Sexton is a menace to deal with offensively given his athleticism.
Again, the 76ers get a first-round draft pick this year, but this time, they would be getting the 3rd overall pick, which is extremely valuable. They could bring in one of the best players in this year’s draft, or they could even leverage this draft pick and advance in trade talks with another team for another All-Star caliber player.
READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Lillard, LaVine, Simmons, Sexton
Ben Simmons’ value remains high to the Philadelphia 76ers and they are not going to give him up for the sake of giving him up, but they do need to realize that they are not going to get “the world” for Simmons. He is a solid player, but he is being viewed as a “project,” which is why they may need to come back down to Earth a little bit and be willing to accept high-level, non All-Star talents for him.
