After finishing the 2019-20 NBA season as the worst team in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors successfully obtained the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. However, instead of using it to add another talent prospect to their roster, they are highly expected to include it in a trade package that would enable them to land their fourth superstar in the 2020 offseason. When it comes to potential trade targets for the Warriors this fall, one name is currently emerging as the heavy favorite to join forces with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green next year — reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
However, according to Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report , there is a better trade target for the Warriors than Antetokounmpo — Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers. To bring Simmons to Bay Area, Swartz suggested that the Warriors could engage in a three-team blockbuster deal with the Sixers and the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2020 offseason.
“While the Warriors will inevitably throw everything outside of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson at the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ben Simmons may actually be a better fit on the roster. Simmons’ skill set has become a super-charged version of Draymond Green’s, able to defend at a DPOY level and making any pass necessary on the court. With his brief move from point guard to power forward, he could be inserted anywhere in the Warriors starting lineup and head coach Steve Kerr would figure out a way to make it work.”
Simmons would undeniably be an intriguing addition to the Warriors. Though he’s not capable of spacing the floor, he is a very reliable scoring option, rebounder, playmaker, and defender. This season, the 24-year-old point forward averaged 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 58.0 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN .
Aside from giving the team another All-Star that could help them fully dominate the Western Conference and reclaim the NBA championship title next season, the former No. 1 overall pick could also bridge the gap to the next era of Warriors’ basketball.
Being traded to the Warriors would also benefit Simmons. Though he’s highly unlikely to be the No. 1 scoring option in Golden State, by becoming their fourth superstar, he would have a realistic chance of winning his first championship ring next year. Also, playing alongside two of the league’s deadliest three-point shooters in Curry and Thompson and a floor-spacing big man like Green could maximize his potential on the court and speed up his development into a legitimate star in the league.