Does this trade make sense for Philadelphia 76ers?
Trading Ben Simmons is something the Philadelphia 76ers have been trying to do for a while, but they have not received an offer that piques their interest in terms of adding another All-Star-level player to their roster.
He may not be an All-Star, but CJ McCollum has put up All-Star-like numbers during his career and could be that secondary talent next to Joel Embiid this team needs to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
McCollum is a shooting guard, but he averaged a career-high 4.7 assists per game last season, and he is getting more and more comfortable as a facilitator. Putting CJ McCollum at point guard with Seth Curry next to him gives the 76ers two high-level perimeter threats and scorers next to Joel Embiid, which is exactly what they need.
Eventually, Simmons has a chance to be one of the best two-way players in this league, but this will not happen overnight like Philadelphia needs. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are great, but Simmons is only great on defense. His lack of productivity on offense was a direct reason why Philly failed in the playoffs and will continue to be why they do not win a title if they keep him around.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Latest Intel Surrounding Ben Simmons Amid NBA Trade Rumors
While the 76ers would probably want to get the most out of a player like Ben Simmons, trading him for CJ McCollum brings many benefits to this team, too many, in my opinion, for Philadelphia to turn down. They are in a “win-now” position, and they will not do so with Simmons as their point guard moving forward.
The 76ers would also be getting Anfernee Simons in this deal for Shake Milton, giving them a younger, more athletic, and dynamic backcourt option who has a higher upside to be an offensive threat than Milton.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Latest Intel Surrounding Ben Simmons Amid NBA Trade Rumors
At this point, CJ McCollum is the best non-All-Star option the 76ers will get for Ben Simmons, which is why they should pull the trigger on this deal if it is available to them.
