Portland Trail Blazers receive: Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas, Royce O'Neale, Patty Mills, Day'Ron Sharpe, 2025 first-round pick (via PHO), 2027 first-round pick (via PHO) and 2029 first-round pick
Brooklyn Nets receive: Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkić
Ben Simmons was an All-Star in 2020-21. That feels like a lifetime ago.
He has battled knee and back injuries for much of the past two seasons, but he made it on the floor 42 times during this campaign and looked lost when he did. He hesitated to even look at the basket and wound up attempting just 5.6 field goals per game, fifth-fewest among the 169 players who averaged 25-plus minutes.
He shot a disastrous 25-of-57 at the line (43.9). His turnover percentage, which had never previously been above 20.4, spiked to 27.2. His 13.4 player efficiency rating landed way behind his previous low of 18.3; same went for his win shares per 48 minutes (.097, was 0.146).
He looks like someone in need of a total reset. The same could be said of the Portland Trail Blazers, who are ostensibly trying to win big with 32-year-old Damian Lillard but just tanked their way to a second consecutive lottery appearance.
Maybe Simmons and the Blazers are right for each other—if Brooklyn provides sufficient compensation, of course. The Nets would be wise trying to package Simmons in a blockbuster deal, as his sizable salary would be much easier to stomach if packaged with multiple draft picks and prospects.
Portland, a team lacking obvious direction at the moment, would exit this swap with a readymade rebuilding kit in hand. Cam Thomas has shown high-level flashes of shot-making. Day'Ron Sharpe isn't two years removed from being a first-round pick. The incoming future firsts are all coming from clubs with uncertain long-term outlooks. Royce O'Neale might fetch a pick in a separate swap, too. Maybe Patty Mills could convince someone to part with a second-rounder if he catches fire early next season.
And who knows, maybe the Blazers can help Simmons get back to being the player he was. They clearly can give him all the time he needs to get his body right. And don't forget, he is still only 26 years old. He could be a devastating weapon in the open court sprinting alongside Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe.
The Nets, who can't really build with so many of their picks belonging to the Houston Rockets, would instead try re-entering the championship race with Lillard, Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton and a deep collection of role players. Even Jusuf Nurkić—whom Portland should want to unload the second it pivots into a rebuild—would scratch an itch for a backup big man.
This could be the rare win-win-win exchange with the Blazers, the Nets and Simmons himself all getting something good out of this swap.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.
"trade" - Google News
April 19, 2023 at 08:15PM
https://ift.tt/7ce9RXg
Trade Ideas to Replace NBA's Most Disappointing Starters - Bleacher Report
"trade" - Google News
https://ift.tt/VtU73rT
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar