This is the soap opera of the offseason in the NBA: what will be the future of All Star Ben Simmons? Will he stay with the Sixers or will he be traded as he wishes? Rumors are rife, and the latest sends the Australian to Cleveland in exchange for Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton.
Markkanen cut so he can enlist Ben Simmons? Barely arrived at the Cavs, the Finn could already be landed. If he had stayed warm on the side of Chicago, Markkanen could well pay the price in turn for the harsh law of the NBA and its transfer market. The player drafted in 7th position in 2017 by the Timberwolves before being traded to Chicago had so far only known the city of Windy City for four seasons, but at a time when Billy Donovan and his staff are making the big household in the workforce, the Finn was among the undesirable. He eventually found a way out on the Cleveland side on a four-year, $ 67 million deal in exchange for Derrick Jones Jr as well as a first and second round. But according to several NBA insiders, and Marc Stein in the first place, the strong winger would only be a bargaining chip for a new player considered stronger. And this one could well be a certain Ben Simmons, still today in Philadelphia.
“League sources say that Cleveland continues to keep its hat in the ring to try to pry Ben Simmons from the Sixers.”
– @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/3IykJypM37
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) September 7, 2021
A trade with several teams?
With a racket already saturated in the presence of Jarett Allen, Evan Mobley, Kevin Love and even Dean Wade, Mfiondu Kabengele and Tacko Fall in back-ups, the options are plentiful for the Cavs in this position and Markkanen could end up unwanted and therefore exchange. He could then be part of a two or three team trade that would send Simmons to the Cleveland side. The “Boomer” would also not be against joining the Ohio team, he gets along perfectly with Darius Garland, both members of the agency Klutch Sports. In any case, the transfer cannot take place until October 27, two months exactly after Markkanen’s arrival in Cleveland, but an agreement could be found upstream. Dan Gilbert’s franchise will still have to prepare financially to welcome the Australian, since a clause in his contract will be activated if he is transferred. This will increase his salary by 15% and will therefore go from 146M to 168M $ over the next four years. One thing is certain, the soap opera of the summer (soon to be autumn) is not ready to end.
