Swapping point guards could solve the dilemmas the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers find themselves this season. It’s literally the perfect deal for Ben, Russ, Lakers, Sixers, and Rich Paul and Klutch Sports.
The Lakers and Sixers have both underperformed this season and sit in 6th place in their respective conferences. Westbrook would immediately elevate Philadelphia into the top four seeds in the tough Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Simmons would give the Lakers a replacement for Westbrook who could help solve many of the Lakers’ problems, including making them bigger, better, and more versatile and potent at both ends of the court.
While trading a point guard who can’t shoot for one who won’t shoot could seem counter productive, here are ten reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers should seriously consider trading Russell Westbrook for Ben Simmons:
- Simmons Is a Better Defender. Ben was 1st team All-NBA Defense for 2020 and 2021. Russ has never made an All-NBA Defense team.
- Simmons Takes Better Care of Ball. Ben has a career average of 3.4 turnovers per game whereas Russ’ average is 4.1 turnovers per game.
- Simmons Is a More Efficient Shooter. Ben is a career 56% shooter from the field whereas Russ is just a 43.8% shooter from the field.
- Simmons Makes Lakers Bigger. Ben is 6′ 11,” 240 lbs while Russ is 6′ 3,” 200 lbs. Ben is 8″ taller and 40 lbs heavier than Russ.
- Simmons Is a Better Rebounder. Ben has a career rebounding average of 8.1 rebounds per game versus 7.4 rebounds per game for Russ.
- Simmons Makes Lakers More Versatile. Ben can play point guard, power forward, or center while Russ can only play point guard.
- Simmons Has a Higher PER. Ben is averaging 18.38 PER this season versus 16.61 PER for Russ this season.
- Simmons Makes Lakers Younger. Ben is only 25-years old while Russ is 32-years old. Ben is 7 years younger than Russ.
- Simmons Saves Lakers Salary. Ben earns $33.0 million while Russ earns $44.2 million this season, a difference of $11.2 million per year.
- Simmons Has Longer Contract. Ben has three more years left on his contract while Russ only has one year left on his contract.
How Possible Is a Russell Westbrook for Ben Simmons Trade?
The Sixers should be interested in an offer of Russell Westbrook for Ben Simmons and we could see early action starting this Wednesday when most of the free agents signed this summer finally become eligible to be traded.
Westbrook in many ways is the perfect fit for Philly as he’s a high usage elite playmaker who is a constant threat to post a triple-double but without any 3-point gravity. Ironically, as a point guard, Russ plays very similar to Ben. Trading Simmons for a point guard with similar style of play and ability to impact the game like Westbrook would minimize the adjustments the Sixers have to make on the fly in a more competitive Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Ben Simmons is in limbo and the Sixers left with an empty bag. If they want to be legitimate contenders to compete with the favored Bucks and Nets, they’re going to have to make a move before the trade deadline. That Russ has really ramped up his play the last few weeks only makes the potential trade for Ben even more tantalizing for both sides. Other than Kyrie, Russ is probably the best available superstar the Sixers could acquire.
Are there teams who might offer Philly more for Simmons than Westbrook? Per Shams Charania, the Knicks, Wolves, Blazers, Kings, Pacers, and Cavs are all interested in trading for Ben Simmons but won’t be offering a superstar.
How Would Swapping Westbrook for Simmons Affect the Lakers?
A superstar big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Ben Simmons would not only be the perfect solution to the Lakers quest for their 18th NBA but also an agent’s dream come true for Klutch Sports’ mogul Rich Paul.
Swapping Russell Westbrook for Ben Simmons and Furkan Korkmaz would immediately help the rebounding size and points-in-the-paint problems that have devastated the Lakers’ small ball lineups with Anthony Davis at the five. Replacing Westbrook with Simmons also dramatically improves the Lakers defensively. Suddenly, they have three All-NBA quality defenders who can actually defend all five positions in the paint or beyond the 3-point line.
Because Westbrook makes $11 million more per year than Simmons, the Sixers would have to include an additional player like 6′ 7,” 200 lbs Furkan Korkmaz, who would give the Lakers an elite volume 3-point shooter. Additionally, the Lakers would still have Talen Horton-Tucker’s $10 million contract, Kendrick Nunn’s $5 million contracts, and their 2027 first round pick to upgrade one of the other two positions in their starting lineup.
Assuming Simmons was all-in for what the Lakers wanted from him, trading Russell Westbrook for him would certainly improve the Lakers’ odds of winning their 18th championship and position themselves for other moves.
It would crazy, but if we could get Simmons and Turner that’d be nice.
If Sixers love Russ and the Pacers love THT…
Yeahhhhhh baby! Imagine 6’9″ everywhere.
Lakers Small Ball!
Oy vey. As I was reading this, I was wondering how long it’d take Tom to figure out a way to include Turner in the deal. Ain’t happening. Don’t nobody want Russ nor some hodge podge of mostly useless or unproven pieces the Lakers have.
Let me start by saying I am a fan of the Russell Westbrook trade. While I get as exasperated as any of us at the ridiculous turnovers and missed layups, I’m also amazed a half dozen times each game by a great drive or pass Russ made. He’s getting better each week and I’m glad the front office thought and went for the home run. As we’ve seen post-Kobe, it’s not easy to win championships.
As much as I like Russ, the Lakers are in a tough situation as they may not have the trading chips to land a Myles Turner, Jerami Grant, or Cam Reddish. Not at the trade deadline or next summer. And we know they’re not going to trade LeBron or AD. But Russ for Ben? That’s a deal that makes you wonder if Rich Paul has already pitched it to the Lakers. Like with AD, no team is going to trade for Ben without his approval, considering his current circumstances. So Klutch does have some power over this situation, not unlike what they had with AD.
But Russ playing himself out of being untradeable, just like CP3 did, could change everything. Morey’s not going to get another superstar other than Westbrook for Simmons. Not unless he throws in sweeteners. That the Lakers are interested in Ben says everything because it clearly indicates Westbrook is not untouchable, which is a lot different from the ‘untradeable’ he was four weeks ago.
You don’t trade Russ unless you have an opportunity to make the team much better, which is exactly what Ben Simmons represents. You may say I’m dreaming but I’ll bet you Rob and Rich have talked about this. Imagine how much better our defense would be with Simmons, Davis, and LeBron? Three guys who are big but can defend all five positions at all three levels. It’s Frank Vogel’s wet dream.
The other thing the Russ for Ben trade does is give the Lakers a dramatic boost in size and defense, which has been a big part of their issues playing small with AD at the five. I could see Ben replacing Russ at the one, helping defensively at the four, and even playing some small ball five with LeBron. Ben presents similar spacing problems as Russ but helps in so many other areas that it’s a much better fit. That’s what this trade is all about. Fit! Ben is much easier to fit than Russ.
The one thing many people don’t keep in mind is that Daryl Morey won’t trade for Russ a second time despite the pressing issue of Ben Simmons. Russ is not his protégé as may be the case between Derick Rose and Tom Thibideaux.
But his last trade for Westbrook was a success and he really does not have any other way to get a superstar. Ben for Russ may be best deal Daryl can find. For sure, Russ would be a great fit on the Sixers. Always a long shot wishing for a mega trade but the Klutch factor could be real fire and not just smoke.
Off topic: it is interesting to see the Knicks free falling while Kemba Walker is banished from the rotation. Makes you wonder who the real culprit is. Those Knicks need some parachutes before they experience a hard landing that could be a crushing blow to somebody.
Second year under hard coach often sees big drop off.
Very good point. Worth paying attention to.
FINALLY LakerTom. Something we can agree upon…