By Art Beitchman
The Ben Simmons trade saga must end soon!
Move him north to the Raptors for power forward Pascal Siakam.
Both of their salaries match at around $29 million per season, and the Sixers should sweeten the pot to make the deal if they have to.
Some of the heavy lifting would come off Joel Embiid’s shoulders with a player who can score.
Plus the 76ers can get rid of an ungrateful player once and for all.
Just make Simmons gone before the new season starts.
Having this circus in town is no way to begin a new NBA season.
Trade simmons ASAP!
Here’s the trade suggestion from TrueHoop suggested a few weeks ago:
The word on the street is that Pascal Siakam is about to show everyone he’s back playing like an All-Star again.
Of course it may not happen, but the Raptors staff believe Siakam had a string of bad luck (COVID being the primary problem) that held him back last season.
He’s turning 28 this year and the Raptors are building for a title run down the road a few years, so adding Simmons makes sense just based on his age alone. … If Siakam ascends into the player that the Sixers would covet alongside Embiid as the season unfolded, I can see a deal getting done. He has championship experience and is a two-way player, fitting well with what the Sixers need.
Siakam averaged 21.4 points, 4.5 assists and 7.2 rebounds last season.
