Post#322 » by RapsFanInOhio » Wed Jul 14, 2021 1:05 am
I think it makes sense that Philly is looking to see what they can get for him prior to the draft. Their window is open but it's very slowly fading: Embiid is playing on borrowed time, Harris is a good complimentary piece but you're not winning with him as the #2, and Simmons very clearly lost value this playoffs. If you're Philly, you have to do your due diligence by at least seeing what teams will offer with regards to draft pieces, but I find it highly unlikely they're taking a deal centered around guys that are 2-3 years away. They're going to want a deal that makes them better immediately or at least keeps them at their current level. And unless they shockingly make Embiid available, now is the time to make a deal for Simmons. Can you really afford to wait on Simmons to come around? You pretty much have to move him now.
I'm not saying they should sell low - but Simmons is still a project. He was flat unplayable in that Atlanta series and you're paying him $30 million a year. Maybe he had some super high value a year ago but that playoff fiasco is going to have some lasting impact unless he figures it out quickly and even that's hopeful given his seemingly laid back personality. So Philly isn't going to get some package of high-impact, win now, young players. They're going to get a bunch of offers where teams unload bench pieces or moderately useful players with bigger contracts along with picks. I mean, look at the other teams that were rumored to have interest: Cleveland (something likely centered around Love and a pick), Sacramento (Fox and Haliburton aren't getting included in that), Wolves (D'Angelo Russell would be the key piece there) and Indiana (Brogdon and a 1st). None of those moves make Philly better next year, and then you're in a situation where you're Milwaukee and you have 1 All-Star surrounded by a bunch of meh pieces.
Enter Kyle Lowry. The best player realistically available. Probably makes them a legit title contender. We saw what an aging PG can do these days (CP3) and Morey swung and missed once. They're not going to get tied up in a 4-5 year deal for a mediocre player and can reset when Lowry's contract expires in 3 years and Embiid can't play anymore. They don't have to give up a ton of depth to get him. They get out of Simmons' deal if he doesn't pan out. They can sell the move to their fans as Kyle will be beloved there. I guarantee the inquiry involved a S&T for Kyle, and assuming Simmons isn't moved for draft capital (which, again, is unlikely to me given their championship window), they're going to have to wait until the FA pieces fall to move him anyway. Kyle Lowry is the answer.
Props to Turbo_Zone for the sig
