The Celtics have reportedly been in talks with the 76ers for a potential trade involving Ben Simmons. Shams Charania of The Athletic was the first to report the news, writing in his latest article that Jaylen Brown would also have to be involved in the deal.
“The Boston Celtics have engaged in conversations with the 76ers revolving around Simmons and expressed interest in the 6-foot-11 guard, sources tell The Athletic. Talks have been fluid with no traction as of yet, those sources say. Any potential Simmons deal with the Celtics would have to include All-Star forward Jaylen Brown, an ascending talent who is in the midst of another career season, averaging 25.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists,” wrote Charania.
The idea of the Celtics getting Ben Simmons is great on paper. Simmons is an elite defender who can guard every position on both the interior and perimeter. He has also never averaged less than 6.9 assists in a season which is higher than any current Celtic’s best assist season.
He would also provide some much needed playmaking help and improve the Celtics defense, but there’s one catch.
The 76ers will reportedly only entertain any trade offers that involves all-star Jaylen Brown.
Brown is coming off his best season last year, and has improved even more through the first 10 games of this season. The idea to trade away an all-star performer for a disgruntled star who hasn’t seen the court yet this season is laughable.
Yes, Simmons would be a good fit for this Celtics team but any deal involving Brown should be ignored.
That being said, Simmons has proven that he can be a liability on offense at times in big games or clutch situations. That being said, he can still be a great contributor in a good situation but a Celtics offense without Brown is not ideal for a guy like Simmons.
If the Celtics can manage to take advantage of the 76ers’ drama and find a deal that could bring Simmons to Boston without trading away one of the Jays, the decision could be beneficial to both sides.
(Photo of Ben Simmons by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)