One of these is not like the others...
That is, one is a fleet-footed 24-year-old point-forward with elite vision and size, as well as a perennial DPOY candidate capable of not just guarding but straight-up locking down opposing players at all five positions on any given night. The other two are... not.
Simmons' poor shooting is a problem. Whatever is going on between his ears that has made him fearful of shooting is an even bigger problem. His contract is hardly ideal given his flaws. There are certainly risks and fit concerns associated with trading for him. But Kings fans are absolutely crazy if trading for Ben Simmons is a "no" under all circumstances. For Fox? Nah. In a package that includes Haliburton? I'd pass on that, too. But for say, Hield, Bagley, and a draft pick? I'd be giving that serious consideration, and Philly should, too, in such a scenario.
Simmons is rightfully being criticized for his passivity on the offensive end, particularly during game 7 against the Hawks. But he also chased Trae Young all over the court throughout that game, and is partly responsible for Young's abysmal 5-23 showing. The 6'11", 240 lb. guy put in work on the 6'1", 180 lb. guy. There aren't many players with Simmons' size in the NBA today who can do that. And none of them have Simmons' court vision or playmaking ability.
Plenty of Kings fans would be thrilled with the prospect of drafting Scottie Barnes or Jalen Johnson this year, two young wings with excellent defensive potential and shooting struggles of their own. Do either project to be as skilled as Simmons? It's unlikely. If they did, they'd be more regularly in the conversation at the very top of the draft. Ben Simmons is an oddity with respect to modern NBA offense, but he's also unique in a lot of ways that can really help a team that doesn't have to slot him alongside a once-in-a-generation center like Joel Embiid.
Get him out of a nasty media market like Philadelphia with all of the "Trust the Process" championship-or-bust expectations, and plop him into a much cozier media market like Sacramento, where nothing more than an 8th seeded finish would be celebrated with tremendous fanfare, and I suspect that Simmons will thrive with fewer external pressures. Does that speak well of him as a player with the necessary killer instinct to become a true superstar? No, not really. But I also don't think he needs to be that guy. I think he'd function well in a Draymond Green-like role for the Kings, keying the defense and playmaking from the high post, with the added wrinkle of being able to push what would instantly become the most dynamic fastbreak in the league alongside Fox and Hali.
I should footnote all of this by saying that I've never been a very big fan of Simmons. But for all of the complaining that Kings fans do about this roster, I'm always surprised at how often fans recoil at the notion of improving the team's talent level. Simmons is an all-star level talent. He's an elite playmaker, defender, and rebounder. No, you don't trade away everything for him. No, you probably shouldn't trade your best player or most promising prospect for him, either. But if you can buy low, a small market backwater like Sacramento that hasn't sniffed the playoffs in a decade-and-a-half can't blanch at such an opportunity. Players of Ben Simmons' caliber never force their way to Sacramento. They don't sign with Sacramento as free agents. Frankly, a moribund franchise like the Kings doesn't get the luxury of considering Simmons' shortcomings. If a reasonable deal were to present itself that doesn't involve Fox or Hali, then I fully expect McNair to be working the phones.
That is, one is a fleet-footed 24-year-old point-forward with elite vision and size, as well as a perennial DPOY candidate capable of not just guarding but straight-up locking down opposing players at all five positions on any given night. The other two are... not.
Simmons' poor shooting is a problem. Whatever is going on between his ears that has made him fearful of shooting is an even bigger problem. His contract is hardly ideal given his flaws. There are certainly risks and fit concerns associated with trading for him. But Kings fans are absolutely crazy if trading for Ben Simmons is a "no" under all circumstances. For Fox? Nah. In a package that includes Haliburton? I'd pass on that, too. But for say, Hield, Bagley, and a draft pick? I'd be giving that serious consideration, and Philly should, too, in such a scenario.
Simmons is rightfully being criticized for his passivity on the offensive end, particularly during game 7 against the Hawks. But he also chased Trae Young all over the court throughout that game, and is partly responsible for Young's abysmal 5-23 showing. The 6'11", 240 lb. guy put in work on the 6'1", 180 lb. guy. There aren't many players with Simmons' size in the NBA today who can do that. And none of them have Simmons' court vision or playmaking ability.
Plenty of Kings fans would be thrilled with the prospect of drafting Scottie Barnes or Jalen Johnson this year, two young wings with excellent defensive potential and shooting struggles of their own. Do either project to be as skilled as Simmons? It's unlikely. If they did, they'd be more regularly in the conversation at the very top of the draft. Ben Simmons is an oddity with respect to modern NBA offense, but he's also unique in a lot of ways that can really help a team that doesn't have to slot him alongside a once-in-a-generation center like Joel Embiid.
Get him out of a nasty media market like Philadelphia with all of the "Trust the Process" championship-or-bust expectations, and plop him into a much cozier media market like Sacramento, where nothing more than an 8th seeded finish would be celebrated with tremendous fanfare, and I suspect that Simmons will thrive with fewer external pressures. Does that speak well of him as a player with the necessary killer instinct to become a true superstar? No, not really. But I also don't think he needs to be that guy. I think he'd function well in a Draymond Green-like role for the Kings, keying the defense and playmaking from the high post, with the added wrinkle of being able to push what would instantly become the most dynamic fastbreak in the league alongside Fox and Hali.
I should footnote all of this by saying that I've never been a very big fan of Simmons. But for all of the complaining that Kings fans do about this roster, I'm always surprised at how often fans recoil at the notion of improving the team's talent level. Simmons is an all-star level talent. He's an elite playmaker, defender, and rebounder. No, you don't trade away everything for him. No, you probably shouldn't trade your best player or most promising prospect for him, either. But if you can buy low, a small market backwater like Sacramento that hasn't sniffed the playoffs in a decade-and-a-half can't blanch at such an opportunity. Players of Ben Simmons' caliber never force their way to Sacramento. They don't sign with Sacramento as free agents. Frankly, a moribund franchise like the Kings doesn't get the luxury of considering Simmons' shortcomings. If a reasonable deal were to present itself that doesn't involve Fox or Hali, then I fully expect McNair to be working the phones.
