Although the Philadelphia 76ers were not able to acquire James Harden from the Houston Rockets, a recently published list of “desperation” trade ideas suggested that the team could acquire Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal and Toronto Raptors playmaker Kyle Lowry in a hypothetical three-way deal.
On Friday, Bleacher Report wrote that Beal could be a good target for the Sixers because he’s a player who “fits anywhere” and could provide the spacing that Simmons — whose poor outside shooting has been well-documented — cannot offer at this point in his career. The outlet added that the erstwhile Wizards star is also much better in drawing fouls, thus giving him another advantage over Simmons. Lowry, meanwhile, would likely be a “rental” due to his expiring contract, though at 34 years old, he has experience playing for a championship team and can still produce at a high level on both ends of the floor.
As suggested by the publication, the proposed three-way trade would also involve Sixers guards Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and Danny Green and Wizards forward Davis Bertans heading to Toronto. The Wizards would acquire Simmons as well an unprotected 2022 first-rounder from Philadelphia, a 2024 lottery-protected first-round selection from the Raptors, and swap rights with the Sixers on 2024 and 2026 first-rounders.
Talking about how Washington could benefit from the hypothetical move, Bleacher Report noted that the organization would be ending up with an All-NBA defender in Simmons, who is also three years Beal’s junior and also under contract until the 2023-24 season. The team would also get some much-needed draft capital that could potentially help them in their rebuilding process.
As for the Raptors, the site noted that the recommended deal would give them a pair of up-and-coming talents in Maxey and Thybulle. Bertans was one of the league’s most prolific three-point shooters in 2019-20, while Green has extensive championship experience, having suited up for last year’s NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Although the move could result in a star-studded Sixers starting lineup with Lowry and Seth Curry at guard, Beal lining up as a small forward alongside Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid manning the middle, Bleacher Report cautioned that the idea was mostly based on the expectation that Philadelphia might get desperate if they fail to maintain their momentum as one of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.
“Remove the artificial desperation we’ve imposed on Philly, and the Sixers would probably rather just stick with Simmons and keep their kids and picks,” the outlet wrote. “But this is still a fun one to consider if the 76ers wanted to push all their chips in.”