Cavs: Trade partners for 76ers’ Ben Simmons reportedly holding ground in negotiations

The Cavs may not have to give up much to get Ben Simmons if things stand pat.

Daryl Morey isn’t a bad guy, he’s a genuinely decent fellow and is willing to make a lot of people mad standing up for what he believes in. A solid bloke. He’s a trash trade partner, however. Apparently, Morey is hellbent on getting so much back for Ben Simmons that some teams would have to send back prospects in other sports to make things even out.

Except, most people aren’t playing that game.

It’s a difficult job being an NBA GM, admittedly. On one hand, you don’t want to just give guys away (*cough Koby Altman*), but on the other hand you don’t want to hold a guy ransom essentially that no one is willing to overpay for. It’d be like if someone kidnapped Pauley Shore. Sure, no one wants him to get hurt but $100? Ehh…

Now, Simmons is no Shore, and he’s a heck of a basketball player but he has limitations that some teams aren’t overlooking. That’s why it’s become apparent that many teams aren’t willing to play games with the 76ers. As Sam Amico from Hoopswire writers;

"As we wrote last week, the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Pistons, Spurs, Raptors and Pacers are still exploring a Simmons trade.But potential trade partners are seemingly holding their ground while the 76ers are seemingly seeking the stars, the sun and the moon in return.With all that in mind, sources have repeatedly told Hoops Wire that a trade of Simmons is likely to involve multiple teams — as opposed to a straight-up deal."

The Cavs have a real shot to land Ben Simmons in this scenario.

If teams are pretty much done with dealing with Morey’s nonsense on this trade scenario and are basically stonewalling him, then the odds the Cavs can pull this trade-off are actually quite high. While it’s irresponsible to put much weight on what has been happening in the NBA preseason so far, The Cavs are very much an up and down team. Simmons would help stabilize that.

Moreover, so many people keep complaining about the “height issue’ with Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, and Simmons easily fixes that “issue“. He’s also one of the better defenders in the league, which fits in well with J.B. Bickerstaff. He’s not perfect, this isn’t like getting Luka Doncic in a trade but Simmons adds enough of an impact that the Cavs would instantly be a playoff contender.

It’s not exactly like the Cavs have anyone of his caliber on the squad at the moment. Sure, you got some guys who can score better than him but basketball is a multi-faceted game and Simmons is a four-tool player in that regard.

It’ll be interesting to see what Simmons ultimately goes for at this rate.