Trade Wiggins and Irving?

 The NBA has taken the stance of having everyone involved in the NBA with the exception of the players having to be vaccinated against Covid 19.  The players do not have to be vaccinated due the fact this particular kind of ruling would have to be collectively bargained with the Players Association. However, the league has stated that  teams have to follow the Covid guidelines as laid out in the particular state or city in which the team plays in. This is crucial specifically for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets because both San Francisco and New York City have required individuals who attend or participate in large indoor events to be vaccinated.

Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors, who is not vaccinated,  and Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets, who is believed to not be vaccinated, under the current mandates in their respective cities would not be able to participate in any home games. This means assuming these mandates lasted the entire season both players would miss over 41 games . Kyrie would miss 44 due to playing the Knicks, who  also play in New York City.  The question becomes what do you do if you are the Nets or the Warriors.

It is not ideal to have a main contributor to your team not being able to play in half of the team’s games. I would possibly explore trading these individuals if I can get my hands on Ben Simmons for either Kyrie Irving or a package of players and  picks that included Andrew Wiggins. I would do that. It is worth noting that the NBA denied Andrew Wiggins’ request to be exempt from needing the vaccine due to religious reasons on Friday.  

It makes sense from a basketball stand point to trade for Ben Simmons if you are either the Nets or the Warriors you get better defensively for either team and also it adds another facilitator and rebounder which will be beneficial to either the Warriors or Nets. It will be interesting to see how things will now play out for Wiggins and Irving who are potentially in danger of not being able to play any home games.    

   

  

John Walls Best Destination

 Earlier this week it was reported that John Wall and the Houston Rockets have agreed to have the team help him to find a trade to another team. The plan is that he will practice with the team but he will not play in the games. This arrangement comes as little surprise considering the Rockets are looking to move into full rebuild mode following the James Harden trade last season.  This includes their  young talent which includes the 2nd pick overall in this year’s draft Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. Both of which can play Wall’s position of Point Guard.

Wall will be looking to be traded to a contender where he has an opportunity to compete for a championship. The biggest issue for him is his salary. He is scheduled to make $91 million dollars over the next 2 years. The breakdown being $44 million this year and a player option for $47 million in the last year.  Wall has battle injuries throughout his career including missing the entire 2019-2020 season. Last season he played just 40 games.

The one trade that would make sense for both Wall and the Rockets would be trading him for Ben Simmons in Philadelphia. This would pair Wall with Joel Embiid and it would make a pretty good pick and roll combination. Last year Wall averaged 7 assists and that will only go up with Embiid. It also helps the Sixers because even though Wall’s not as fast  as he was when he was younger, he still has the aggressiveness to put pressure on the opposing  defense by driving downhill.  

The trade would also give Simmons a fresh start and he can play the Forward position from the elbow down and they can run the offense through him. This can even use him similar to how NIkola Jokic is used in Denver. Simmons possesses great passing ability and does most of his damage in the point which can benefit the guards who are slashers and like to operate on the perimeter. With Simmons not bringing the ball up you also can have him on the court in the 4th quarter. I say this because I believe psychologically he won’t feel the pressure of being the only ball handler on the floor and will begin to make his free throws at a respectable rate.  In addition he can give the Rockets that in-between option where he is only 25 but has some experience so he can help bring the team along and maybe even help speedup the development process. This would be great for the Rockets as well so the team can develop into teams such as the Grizzlies and Hawks and become competitive within the next 2 to 3 years.  It would be interesting because Philly likely asks for a second round draft pick to get back some draft compensation. 

This will be an interesting story going into this season which starts in just 28 days!!!

I expect a trade partner will be found just before the All Star Break.

Simmons wants out of Philadelphia!!!

 It was reported earlier this week that All Star Forward Ben Simmons informed the Philadelphia 76ers that he no longer wants to be on the 76ers. This comes as no surprise as after the 76ers lost to the Atlanta hawks in the playoffs many fans called for Simmions to be traded after playing poorly in the series. When it comes to SImmons he likely made his decision after hearing Head Coach , Doc Rivers and Star Player Joel Embiid essentially throw him under the bus during post game comments after game 7.

Simmons has even threatened to not show up to training camp if he is not traded prior to the NBA Season. This is a very bold claim to make because it comes as a very expensive deterrent based upon the Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA). If Simmons sits out of training camp he stands to lose up to over $200,000 for every day of Training camp that he misses. Saying you're going to sit out is one thing but doing so are two different things. We will see how bad Simmons wants out of Philadelphia . 

 

I predict Ben Simmons will eventually get traded to the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors will put together a trade package of players and picks centered around Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga in exchange for Simmons. The Warriors will realize they have to maximize their championship contending opportunities. Once this is done Simmons gets his wish of playing for a California team; it also helps the Sixers by providing Green who has a similar skill set to Simmons.