Ben Simmons‘ time with the Philadelphia 76ers appears to be over. It is very unclear what team he’ll be on for his next NBA game.
One team has come up today, in a new report by SNY’s Ian Begley: the Indiana Pacers. The franchise has been pretty aggressive in making moves in recent years, getting involved with the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets’ blockbuster James Harden deal last season.
The Pacers sent out Victor Oladipo and added promising scorer Caris LeVert in that deal. Now, LeVert is being mentioned as a potential return piece for Simmons.
For a small-market team like the Pacers, the opportunity doesn’t always come around to add a potential star like Simmons, even with all of his offensive woes. And there may not be many better pieces available right now for the 76ers than LeVert, even if he isn’t quite the same level player. He could be a nice addition to Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and company.
Others don’t think LeVert is the level of player that the 76ers should move Ben Simmons for, even if Simmons stands firm that he won’t play for Philly again. Better deals could come up closer to the trade deadline.
Evan Massey says the report is false, so it is anyone’s guess how realistic this move is at this point.
After returning from his post-trade cancer scare, Caris LeVert averaged a career high 20.7 points per game, adding 4.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game for Indiana.
We’ll see if the two sides are indeed discussing things, and if they’re willing to pull the trigger on a move involving these two.