Lakers among teams interested in trading for Sixers’ Ben Simmons

The Los Angeles Lakers are 15-13 to start the year, which is clearly not where the team hoped to be before the season started.

Los Angeles has battled with inconsistency issues ever since the preseason started, whether it was the brand-new roster acclimating to each other’s playstyles or injuries to key rotational players.

But even if everyone is fully healthy, the Lakers still aren’t a lock to make it far in the playoffs and could shuffle the roster to bring in new talent.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, one of those players could be Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons:

Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, has yet to play this season after a frustrating display in the playoffs. That led to lots of noise of him wanting to go to a different team, but the 76ers couldn’t find any trade suitors over the summer, and the wait is still ongoing.

But could the Lakers, a team with very scarce trade assets, make a move for the disgruntled star?

Simmons, 25, is making an average of $35,448,672 a year, which the Lakers don’t have enough salaries to attach in a trade. The only players making enough around that amount are LeBron James ($41,180,544 in 2021), Russell Westbrook ($44,211,146 in 2021) and Anthony Davis ($35,361,360).

The Lakers aren’t trading James or Davis, but a Westbrook-Simmons swap could be an intriguing move for both sides. Westbrook just came to L.A. this summer, but Simmons immediately strengthens the defense with his versatility and length while adding more ball-handling and playmaking on offense, though his inability to attempt a shot is well-documented to this point.

But would the spotlight in L.A. help Simmons, a three-time All-Star, find his form again? This move for L.A. seems to have more questions than answers in terms of making it realistic, but it’s still worth monitoring.

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