Doc Rivers reportedly open to trading Simmons for the first overall pick

It’s that time of the year (unusual timing), with the season approaching it’s end the draft/free agency coming up, crazy rumors are bound to come out like every year.

According to Rashad Phillips, Doc Rivers, new coach of the 76ers, wants to trade franchise guard Ben Simmons to the Timberwolves for the first overall pick to select Lamelo Ball.

With this relatively shallow draft at the top, it’d probably cost more than the first pick for the Timberwolves to land Ben Simmons, but if they could, it could be a huge victory.

There are rumors about Karl-Anthony Towns soon requesting a trade if the Timberwolves don’t turn it around in the immediate future. Adding Ben Simmons to that core alongside D’Angelo Russell as well is super intriguing.

Simmons is already one of the best defensive players in the game, him covering up the subpar defenders in Towns and Russell makes sense. Not to mention, with floor spacers like Russell, Towns, and Beasley, the lanes would be wide open for Simmons to thrive offensively.

For Philadelphia, this would likely mean Doc Rivers doesn’t think Simmons and Embiid could ever co-exist and choose Embiid to build around. Lamelo certainly has his shooting concerns but his ability to create from the perimeter and his potential as a floor spacer probably compliments Embiid better than Simmons did.

Who knows how much truth there is to this particular rumor? But they’re probably not going away in the near future. There could be some major changes coming to Philly very soon.