Warriors Have Best Odds to Land Ben Simmons
The Golden State Warriors currently have the best odds to land Ben Simmons with +400 odds, according to oddsmakers at MyBookie.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have the second-best odds at +450. The Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers have the third-best odds at +650.
Warriors Favorite to Land Ben Simmons
The Warriors have been linked to Simmons for some time now, as they view him as a Draymond Green type of player who can make plays for others at the forward position and can guard multiple positions effectively.
Simmons is the type of player that needs open space to operate, especially come playoff time when defenses tighten up and transition opportunities lessen. That much was on display during the Philadelphia 76ers’ recent playoff series loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Teaming up with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be a completely different dynamic than teaming up with Joel Embiid, as Curry and Thompson stretch defenses out to the 3-point line, thus giving Simmons ample room to operate inside.
The Warriors run a ball movement-heavy offense, so any time Simmons gets the ball at the top of the key or on the wings, all he needs to worry about in that instance is finding the open Curry or Thompson for an easy assist.
Ben Simmons has reportedly cut off all communication with the 76ers organization and is hoping to land with the Warriors.https://t.co/MhIdO0WtD7
— FanSided (@FanSided) August 5, 2021
The Timberwolves could also be a great fit, as Karl-Anthony Towns’ skillset at the center position meshes much better with Simmons than Embiid’s, as Towns attempts significantly more catch-and-shoot 3-pointer attempts.
Minnesota is starved for more talent as they try to maximize the prime of Towns, but the question becomes if they have enough win-now talent to send Philadelphia’s way.
Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell are said to be off the table in any potential talks, so a third team would almost certainly need to be involved to make this work. Patrick Beverley could entice the Sixers as a scrappy defensive guard with plenty of playoff experience, but he’d only be a part of a trade, not the headliner.
The Trail Blazers could view Simmons as a potential headliner in a deal for Damian Lillard shall Lillard formally request out of Portland, but that will likely take some time.
If that trade were to materialize, Simmons would have a chance at a fresh slate in Portland where they can build the roster up to his strengths.
The Kings could also make sense for Simmons, as they’re a team in desperate need of an influx of talent.
De’Aaron Fox would likely be untouchable in any conversations, but Buddy Hield, Marvin Bagley III, and future draft picks could entice the Sixers to move forward.
Hield provides excellent 3-point shooting, which would stretch the floor even further for Embiid to do damage inside. Bagley is in dire need of a change of scenery and is still only 22 years old, so perhaps Philadelphia can still tap into that potential.
If Simmons is on the move this offseason, the Warriors or Timberwolves would make the most sense, as both teams have win-now talent that can make noise in the Western Conference.
