Will Celtics consider Ben Simmons trade offer this offseason?
An ugly second-round loss for the Philadelphia 76ers has put the future of Ben Simmons in the spotlight after a number of subpar outings that contributed to the Hawks upset win over the Easts top seed in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. There have been questions about the fit of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid for several years in Philadelphia after that core has failed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals over the past five seasons together. Sixers general manager Daryl Morey did little to commit to keeping that duo together in his media availability on Tuesday when asked about retaining Simmons. We have a very strong group we believe in, Morey said. None of us can predict the future of whats going to happen in any, in any place. Lets be clear about this: The odds are against this happening for a variety of reasons. Simmons contract is massive, the Celtics have limited trade chips beyond their top two All-Stars to move and the Sixers interest in dealing the 24-year-old to a division rival is a big question mark (if the Celtics had serious interest). However, Simmons age and skillset as a versatile defender make this question at least a hypothetical worth exploring. So lets take a closer look. The 6-foot-11 forward is currently earning $29.3 million so the Celtics would need to send out at least $23.4 million in any hypothetical trade with Philadelphia to satisfy NBA salary matching rules. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown obviously would not be on the table in any potential talks given their All-Star play last year and Simmons dropoff in production. That leaves Boston with very limited options to fill the salary requirements to match the Simmons deal. Newly acquired Al Horford ($27 million) is an easy salary match but we know thats a road the Sixers arent interested in going down again, even if picks were attached by the Celtics. The Sixers are looking to win now so they are going to want talent that can help right away in return. Boston has some inexpensive players at the bottom of their roster (Rob Williams, Payton Pritchard, Romeo Langford, Aaron Nesmith) but finding a mix that satisfies all parties involved seems highly unlikely. That brings us to the only other possible trade structure. Marcus Smart (13.4 million) and Tristan Thompson ($9.2 million) get the Celtics pretty close to the $23 million needed for salary matching. One other player being included in that offer would make the math work for a trade. Boston would also have the option of including a draft pick in this scenario. From a defensive standpoint, it would be an intriguing fit. The versatility of a Tatum/Brown/Simmons core could become one of the best defensive units in the league with the right supporting cast around them. Tatum and Brown do have the scoring skillsets to help cover up some of Simmons biggest weaknesses as well (perimeter shooting). Simmons passing and rebounding would be a big benefit too for the Celtics. The problem for Boston (or most other teams) is that acquiring Simmons involved taking on the remaining four years and $130 million in guaranteed money on his contract. That would lock the Celtics into a Brown/Tatum/Simmons core for the next decade with no salary cap room until Browns deal expires in 2024. While the ages line up nicely within that trio, Simmons ugly play in recent postseason signals thats he far from a $30 million player when the competition heats up. Thats a far cry from Tatum and Brown, who have both regularly matched or surpassed their regular season production in the postseason when healthy. Bostons trade of Kemba Walker for Al Horford on Friday opens up a lot of different paths the team could take to build a better supporting cast around their young core. Acquiring Simmons would close all of those paths for the foreseeable future due to his massive contract. The odds are that the Celtics have their eyes on a bigger and better name (Bradley Beal?) to eventually target via trade or free agency. Stevens could also simply attempt to put together a balanced roster that better complements the skillset of Tatum and Brown. While Simmons price tag may be down in trade talks, theres a strong reason for that and his glaring flaws arent guaranteed to improve next to Tatum and Brown from an offensive standpoint. None have improved consistently since his rookie season. One team may make a big bet on the Simmons bouncing back this offseason but given the contract and compensation involved, dont expect it to be Boston. There are far more appealing paths for Brad Stevens to take with his team-building than going down this road.