Ben Simmons Would Bring Needed Defensive Boost
Defense ended up being key for the Hawks near the end of last season, but so far this season, they rank just 27th in the league in defensive rating and are giving up an average of 111.3 points per game to their opponents, the 7th worst mark in the league.
Given how talented Ben Simmons is defensively, he could really elevate this team and help them get back to contending status, but the means to getting him are not so simple.
Trae Young is one of the best pick-and-roll guards in the entire league and being able to play off Ben Simmons as a screener could really make both All-Stars better, but the Hawks do not necessarily have the talent that the Philadelphia 76ers are looking for in return.
Philadelphia truly believes that they are still a championship contender this season and that the return they get on a potential Ben Simmons trade could help deliver them a championship. Guys like Danilo Gallinari, Cam Reddish and Delon Wright do not present any avenue for the 76ers to get better, but this is most likely what Atlanta would be looking like in trade scenarios.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Trae Young Doing Best To Carry Hawks, But Changes Needed
All three players are making a combined $33.6M this season, matching Simmons’ $33M this season, but right now, the only likely trade targets presented to the 76ers in a Ben Simmons trade are CJ McCollum (Trail Blazers), Caris LeVert (Pacers) and possibly someone like Pascal Siakam (Raptors).
Maybe the Atlanta Hawks could get one of these three teams involved to send their All-Star-like talent to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons, but the problem here is that the Trail Blazers, Pacers and Raptors are all interested in Ben Simmons themselves, so why would they want the Hawks’ minimal assets instead of the three-time All-Star?
The idea of adding Ben Simmons is definitely worth consideration for the Atlanta Hawks, but it is extremely hard to imagine that they have a real shot at landing him in a trade right now.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Trae Young Doing Best To Carry Hawks, But Changes Needed
Even if they were to leverage John Collins in trade talks, the Philadelphia 76ers still may not be interested.
Leveraging veterans on large contracts like Gallinari and Bogdanovic are certainly possibilities for the Hawks this season, as is trading Cam Reddish for more immediate value, but given this team’s cap problems and their lack of high-level assets to trade away, it is hard to envision them adding another All-Star talent to this team at the trade deadline.
