The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics are both playoff hopefuls in the Eastern Conference this NBA season, but both historic franchises have really been struggling to prove that they are real threats.
Starting in Philadelphia, Joel Embiid has continued to be an under-the-radar MVP candidate this season and multiple secondary talents in Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Shake Milton have stepped up time-and-time again for this team, but how far can this team actually go?
Their front-office continues to deal with the headache of trying to trade Ben Simmons and there seems to be a gap between the 76ers as a team compared to that of the Nets, Bulls, Heat and Bucks.
Against those four teams this season, the Sixers are 3-4 and outside of Joel Embiid, it is really hard to find steady scoring production on this roster. Trading Ben Simmons for another established star is something Daryl Morey and this front-office have dreamed about for a while now, but making this a reality has been extremely difficult.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Ben Simmons Trades We’d Like To See Before NBA Trade Deadline
About 306 miles up I-95, the Boston Celtics are dealing with their own mess of problems. They may not have the drama that comes with trying to trade Ben Simmons, but outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, production has been minimal for this roster.
Marcus Smart has not lived up to the value of his new four-year, $77M contract extension, Josh Richardson has been very hot-and-cold off-the-bench this season and trade talks continue to swirl about what this team will do with Dennis Schroder, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason with the mindset of possibly being traded at the trade deadline.
Currently 19-21 and having numerous trade exceptions that can be utilized, Brad Stevens and the Celtics’ front-office is expected to be busy over the next few months, but finding another star, preferably to put in the backcourt, is going to be a tall-task for this franchise.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Ben Simmons Trades We’d Like To See Before NBA Trade Deadline
Both the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics are looking for ways to get back to title contending status in the Eastern Conference and in the Western Conference, the Sacramento Kings are looking to end a 15-year playoff drought.
Could all three teams come together to make a mega blockbuster trade happen ahead of this year’s deadline? Let’s take a look at a trade proposal put together by Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale that not only sends Ben Simmons to Sacramento, but two other All-Star-level players on the move.
