Five serious Ben Simmons trade suitors emerge

Ben Simmons had a horrible playoff run, culminating in his Philadelphia 76ers being upset by the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He shot 33 percent from the free throw line against Atlanta, which was somehow down from the 34.2 percent he had been shooting in the postseason up to that point.

When it was all said and done, Simmons posted the worst free throw percentage in NBA playoff history for a player with at least 70 attempts.

For obvious reasons, this resulted in him becoming extremely gun-shy and pretty much a non-threat offensively. That in turn led to Joel Embiid calling him out publicly, him responding bluntly to Embiid and then the Sixers signaling that the young All-Star was on the market.

So where is Simmons going to end up?

Well, according to Jake Fisher of Bleacher Report, there are currently five squads that are considered legitimate trade suitors for Simmons.

Those five teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors.

“Cleveland, Indiana, Minnesota, Sacramento and Toronto all showed interest in acquiring the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year, sources said,” Fischer wrote. “Multiple executives from those teams, when contacted by B/R, mentioned their excitement at incorporating Simmons as a play-making forward—not at the point-guard position he’s played in Philadelphia.”

The Cavaliers have made the trade package they’re offering for Simmons known. Same with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Pacers, Kings and Raptors are keeping their cards a little closer to the vest, but presumably Buddy Hield and Pascal Siakam would be involved in some capacity for the latter two squads.

Similarly, the Sixers have made their asking price for Simmons known. Whether any of the existing offers matches up to it is a matter of opinion.

Also worth noting about the five aforementioned suitors for Simmons: none of them made the postseason last year.

One way or another, it’s increasingly looking like Simmons will get dealt sooner rather than later. Where will he ultimately end up? Time will tell.