Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: G/F Ben Simmons, PHI 2024 2nd Round Pick
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: F Kevin Love, G Collin Sexton, F Cam Reddish, CLE 2022 1st Round Pick (Top-5 Protected), CLE 2023 1st Round Pick (Swap, More Favorable to PHI), CLE 2024 1st Round Pick (Unprotected), ATL 2026 1st Round Pick (Swap, More Favorable to PHI)
Atlanta Hawks Receive: G Tyrese Maxey, SAS 2022 2nd Round Pick (via CLE), PHI 2023 2nd Round Pick
Now, this would certainly be an interesting trade not only because Ben Simmons would be on the move, but because Kevin Love would actually be traded! The Cavaliers seem to have moved on from the thought of keeping Love through the remainder of his contract, but the only problem is that he and his agent do not want a buyout to happen.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Kevin Love and his agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, have no interest in negotiating a buyout on the two-years and $60.2M remaining on his contract and who can blame them? Love is now 32-years-old and this is the last chance for him to make a lot of money in the NBA, so there really is no reason for him to forfeit any of this $60M he is guaranteed.
Therefore, the only way the Cavs can get Love off of their payroll is if they trade him, but no team would be crazy enough to take on his contract. Not so fast my friends because the Philadelphia 76ers are here and they may actually consider taking Kevin Love.
After all, he is a 5x All-Star and for his career, has averaged 18.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and has shot 37% from three-point range. While Love has dealt with some injuries over the last few seasons, he has played fairly well in Cleveland the last two years and can still be an impact secondary talent on a championship-contending roster like the Sixers’.
READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Siakam, Dragic, Lillard
Getting Love in a Ben Simmons trade is not too ideal for the 76ers, but they would also be getting Collin Sexton and Cam Reddish, two high-impact, young talents they can utilize immediately.
Sexton is entering the final year of his contract, but he is absolutely a player the 76ers should be interested in if they were to trade Simmons to Cleveland because of how dynamic of a scorer Collin Sexton is.
The Cavaliers’ guard averaged 24.3 points, 4.4 assists, and shot 37.1% from three-point range last season, making him a key player next to Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris on offense.
The Atlanta Hawks could also want to get involved in this deal and trade Cam Reddish, who has been rumored to be available the last few months, for the fact that they would end up getting Tyrese Maxey, who would be a perfect young backup behind Trae Young.
READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Trade Rumors: Simmons, Siakam, Dragic, Lillard
Whether or not Maxey is available is still “up-in-the-air” as there have been contradicting reports on whether or not Rich Paul, who represents both Ben Simmons and Tyrese Maxey, would want to move both of his clients out of Philadelphia.
This is definitely another intriguing trade scenario for the Philadelphia 76ers to consider for Ben Simmons, but does this deal make sense for all parties involved?
