Charlotte Hornets: 2 trades for 76ers’ Ben Simmons

Charlotte Hornets: 2 trades for 76ers’ Ben Simmons

The Charlotte Hornets land Ben Simmons here for a pretty high price. They give up their best player during the 2020-21 season in Gordon Hayward while also dealing their 2019 lottery pick, PJ Washington.

Washington could be an ideal fit alongside Joel Embiid in Philadelphia at the power forward position, bringing lots of spacing and playmaking in the post, while also being a solid post defender. Hayward would give the 76ers another wing/forward perimeter threat that contributes all-around on offense. When healthy, Hayward would provide the 76ers with 20 points per game of scoring on high-level efficiency.

The Hornets give up four major assets in this deal, but Simmons is very much worth that price as a 3-time All-Star. Any trade attempting to bring a star to Charlotte is going to be a risk, but the Hornets could end up getting the a player that is a good Hornet for a very long time, and his value being as low as it is currently should be a sign that now is the time to make a trade.

Giving up a player like PJ Washington is obviously disappointing – however the peak basketball player he can become is still less than what Simmons currently is, even including his free throw woes in the playoffs – and Washington should not prevent you from completing a deal.