While the Lakers continue to pile up defeats and show a worrying face, GM Rob Pelinka is moving heaven and earth in the transfer market. Among the providential targets, the name of Ben Simmons inevitably stands out… but is this possible and desirable? We take stock.
If it’s not a crisis, it looks like it. Leaded by the Nuggets who played while walking (133-96), the Lakers went back to negative balance and never stop worrying. Half of the season is now over, and if Frank Vogel has dozens of problems to solve, that of the failed integration of Russell Westbrook, star recruit of the summer, seems to be the biggest.
The fit with LeBron James does not take, the Brodie disappoints, accuses the blow mentally, and the question of a trade necessarily arises on the side of the city of angels. Problem: the former Thunder receives 44 million dollars this season… and will receive 47 next year! Not easy, therefore, to find a trading partner who would like to recover the leader at this price, especially since the latter seems to be in decline.
The Ben Simmons track, fantasy of many Lakers fans
In this context, the idea of Ben Simmons in Los Angeles is obviously gaining ground. In December, moreover, Shams Charania revealed that the Lakers were in the race to win the services of the Australian, determined never to play again in Philadelphia. A deal is financially feasible, and there is no doubt that the leader appears to be a much more interesting fit for the Angelinos.
Already, his enormous defensive talents would restore the look of a Californian team in distress on that side of the field, especially around a Davis-LeBron-Simmons trio. On the other side of the field, the Sixers player is certainly also a bad shooter, but his ability to attack the circle, organize an attack and involve the other players is well established.
The good idea, then? Not so fast. The biggest obstacle to achieving such a deal is indeed the Sixers. The latter simply do not want Westbrook, his contract and his declining production, and GM Daryl Morey is determined not to make the same mistake he made in Houston. The front office is hoping for younger, better players in exchange for Simmons, and isn’t afraid to wait another few months (at least) if necessary.
The track therefore takes a big lead in the wing, except to go through a trade with 3 or 4 teams. Let us also remember that Joel Embiid does not seem frankly favorable to an arrival of the Brodie at his side. In great shape lately, the Cameroonian recently urged his leaders not to do much in the market, explaining that the Sixers already have “everything we need”.
Several Lakers fans dream of seeing Ben Simmons join his friends from Klutch Sports at the Lakers, but the situation in Philadelphia makes this deal almost unlikely. And with an ever lower value, the trade of Westbrook and his contract keeps getting more complicated…
