Toronto Raptors: Pros and cons of a trade for Ben Simmons

The Toronto Raptors have been able to bask in the glory of watching some of their Atlantic Division rivals falter in the playoffs, with Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers’ collapse ranking at the very top of that list given their status as the No. 1 seed in the conference and all of their star power.

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks were able to take them down with a blend of interior defense and shooting. While there is plenty of blame to go around, Simmons is shouldering a good deal of the negativity, as his struggles in this series were painful to watch.

Simmons took just three shots in the fourth quarter in this entire series, routinely failed to crack double-digits in points, and was completely scared at the prospect of shooting free throws at his 34% clip. His three All-Star appearances aren’t saving him from all of this blowback.

Simmons’ poor play in this series has some questioning the prospect of trading him, as his style of play doesn’t seem to be a great fit alongside Joel Embiid. Could the Raptors end up being the beneficiary of a sign-and-trade, especially with Kyle Lowry on the market and potentially eyeing a Philly homecoming?

Ben Simmons contract details

Simmons is in the first year of a five-year, $177 million max contract that Rich Paul helped him sign in Philadelphia. This further limits his trade market, as the Venn diagram of “teams looking to add Simmons in order to contend” and “teams who can afford that contract” might end up being two circles that never overlap.

The contract’s value has actually increased to $190 million by virtue of Simmons being named an All-NBA player in 2019-20. In addition to a 15% trade kicker, Simmons’ contract could balloon to over $200 million if named to the All-NBA first team, meaning a trade would have heavy financial implications.

The Raptors could end up getting Lowry to agree to a deal that makes the money match up, sending the veteran to Philly and bringing Simmons to Toronto. While they CAN do this move, they should take a step back and figure out if they SHOULD do it before they pull the trigger.

Should the Toronto Raptors consider trading for Ben Simmons?

Pros: Defense and Mismatch Potential

It’s easy to rip on Simmons after that series, but let’s not forget he is one of the best defensive players in the game, and arguably the best perimeter defender. With center size and point guard mobility, Simmons can put the clamps on the opponent’s best player, pick their pocket with a well-timed steal, and vacillate down to the post in order to prevent easy looks at the rim.

He didn’t almost win Defensive Player of the Year by accident. On offense, Simmons’ ability to generate offense for others is no joke, as he is one of the best passers in the East. What better way to get the ball in the hands of Toronto’s armada of shooters.

While Simmons could use his size to line up nominally as a forward in bigger lineups, his court vision makes him a legit point guard, which could help Nurse get creative.

Ben Simmons could help Nick Nurse and the Raptors get very creative.

Imagine a lineup with Simmons, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby all on the perimeter at once. It would be a complete nightmare for opposing offenses. The Raptors had some success going small last year, so why not put Simmons at the center spot while surrounding him with shooters? It’s positionless basketball gone wild.

If they lose Lowry, they can’t either sign a one-year Band-Aid or assume Malachi Flynn will play at that level from the jump next year. The Raptors have taken big swings in the past, and this would certainly qualify.

Cons: Lack of improvement, limited offensive game, mental struggles

Simmons is a fine player as is, but he has not improved since he came into the professional ranks out of LSU. In fact, he may have gotten worse in some areas.

Simmons has the lowest points, rebounds, and assist per game averages of his career last year, and while Embiid taking most of the shots and rebounds certainly ate into that, this isn’t what Toronto wants to see if they want to trade away a franchise legend in order to add a new potential cornerstone.

Simmons had a jumper and mid-range game at LSU, but that seems to have been lost in the shuffle at the professional level. Simmons is a complete non-factor outside of the paint, and a guard with that player profile can’t succeed in Nurse’s offense.

The Toronto Raptors need to give Ben Simmons confidence.

Simmons’ issues are not just physical, they’re mental. The only explanation for shooting that poorly and passing up that many shots is that he’s in his own head. A trip to a sports psychologist could do wonders, as will a visit to a coach in Nurse that has a history of developing shooters.

The Raptors need to either work with a shooting coach or help Simmons mentally to the point he starts chucking it up more frequently. Failing to do so could make the Raptors another playoff early exit thanks to Simmons’ failures.

Does Ben Simmons fit well with the Toronto Raptors?

Simmons is not a fit with the Raptors if he plays as he did with the 76ers. Pace and space is the name of the game for Nurse, and Simmons won’t provide either if Toronto gets the Simmons who choked against Atlanta.

Having said that, Simmons could be transformative for Toronto with even an average game on offense. Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t a good shooter, but the threat of shooting has helped him become even more lethal on that side of the ball, and Simmons could be in for a similar uptick in production if Nurse gets him going.

Ben Simmons is only a fit in Toronto if he gets his confidence back.

Simmons has the potential to anchor Toronto’s defense on the perimeter while becoming such a unique chess piece on the offensive end that the Raptors take their already potent offense to the next level. However, he needs to take this shooting problem, both from the field and at the line, head-on to fix it.

Losing Lowry will hurt, but losing Lowry for nothing would be a punch in the gut. Simmons, however, could give the Raptors some backbone for the next few years, as he still has plenty of good basketball coming down the road.