Golden State Warriors: 3 Reasons NOT to trade for Ben Simmons
By Tony Pesta
Golden State Warriors can’t afford Ben Simmons
The first and most glaring roadblock when it comes to trading for Ben Simmons is who the Golden State Warriors would have to give up to acquire him. Regardless of how low Simmons’ stock may have fallen after his most recent playoff blunder, Philly isn’t accepting any weak offers.
The Warriors would likely be incentivized to give up their two lottery picks this summer, maybe even more. While Simmons is certainly a more readily available talent who is worth a few lottery picks, I’m not sure the Dubs would be best-suited flipping those picks for him.
More importantly, Golden State would have to include either Draymond Green or Andrew Wiggins in order to match salary. In this case, the Dubs absolutely should not trade for Simmons.
The value Green brings to the floor as a versatile defender and playmaker basically reflects what Simmons can do already. Though Simmons is a more capable slasher, Green has the advantage of playing his entire career alongside the Splash Brothers and proving he can be the ultimate glue guy. There is just no sense in fixing what isn’t broken.
As for Wiggins, he too brings valuable production on both ends of the ball. And, as we’ll see, Wiggins is a far better scorer than Simmons. For this reason, it would be tough to give up Wiggins in exchange for a player who truly doesn’t fit in Golden State as well as he does. There’s just no easy way to acquire Simmons without giving up too much in return.