NBA Trade Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers fixated on landing Damian Lillard in a potential Ben Simmons trade

Ben Simmons' situation with the Philadelphia 76ers and Damian Lillard's situation with the Portland Trail Blazers is similar and also vastly different. In Lillard's case, the fanbase and franchise would love to keep him around but he might want to leave whereas in Simmons' case, the fanbase and franchise have reportedly given up on him but he would love to stay. Naturally, since both the stars play the same position, it doesn't take too much time for NBA trade rumors to surface proposing a swap of the two point guards.

Multiple reports suggest the Philadelphia 76ers will not trade Ben Simmons to Portland unless it’s for Damian Lillard. But @SamMitchellNBA tells @hoopscritic why C.J. McCollum would be a phenomenal get for Philadelphia #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/rpCE2c8S99

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 28, 2021

Now the league is buzzing with the potential pairing of Damian Lillard and Joel Embiid. Damian Lillard would be the perfect point guard for Embiid as he can space the floor, unlike Simmons who is often counterproductive because he clogs the lane and gives Embiid less room to operate in the paint.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on Damian Lillard's sweepstakes and Ben Simmons' situation in Philadelphia. He said:

"Philadelphia has its eyes set on Portland All-NBA guard Damian Lillard, sources say, but the Trail Blazers have fully focused on continuing to build around Lillard. As of now, Lillard is continuing to evaluate the Trail Blazers’ present and future and is slated to begin training camp with the organization. In some ways, the 76ers are stuck between deciding whether to make a move now with Simmons — or waiting until a star like Lillard shakes free."

After the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, the Philadelphia fanbase was fed up with Ben Simmons. Joel Embiid and head coach Doc Rivers both subtly blamed him for the second-round exit and now the fanbase wants him gone. The front office is torn between getting rid of Ben Simmons now and fulfilling what they set out to do or be patient and see if someone like Lillard is available.

Regardless of one playoff series, Ben Simmons is still a three-time All-Star in his four years. He was runner up for DPOY last season and is one of the best passers in the game. The Philadelphia 76ers might want to part ways with Ben Simmons but aren't going to do so unless they get someone worthy in return, preferrably Damian Lillard.

The situation with Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons guarding Damian Lillard [Source: Sports Illustrated]

As mentioned earlier, Ben Simmons' 2021 ECSF series was not one worth remembering. He was atrocious in seven straight fourth quarters and infamously passed over a wide open dunk/layup because he was afraid to get fouled. His fear of the charity stripe was so painfully evident that he was being overly passive and getting rid of the ball so that the Hawks cannot foul him. Nate McMillan deployed the "Hack-a-Simmons" strategy and it wrecked his confidence.

Ben Simmons shot 33% from the free-throw line which is the worst efficiency for a single series in NBA playoff history. Yes, worse than Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain.

here is Joel Embiid’s reaction when Ben Simmons passed up the wide open dunk pic.twitter.com/lrfdYiYpkv

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 21, 2021

LA Lakers legend and arguably the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson appeared on the KJZ show on ESPN and spoke about Ben Simmons and his future with the Philadelphia 76ers. He said:

"Yeah, he's got to be somewhere else. The locker room and the fans [is over with, people can't trust him]. It's over. It's over. You can't recover from this"

ESPN Sources: Discussions on Ben Simmons' future with the Sixers started in Chicago this week, including Klutch CEO/agent Rich Paul and franchise's front office. No trade request was made, but talks will continue. https://t.co/UsCfhS173L

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2021

According to Shams Charania, Ben Simmons was nearly traded last season itself as talks developed during the James Harden sweepstakes. However, the Rockets sent him to the Brooklyn Nets instead and Simmons stuck around. But reports suggest that the 76ers have been wanting to find a suitable trade partner for him for a while now.

"For now, all signs continue to point to Simmons’ career in Philadelphia coming to an end. Simmons was almost moved to the Rockets along with Matisse Thybulle and two first-round picks in the James Harden negotiations, but Houston traded Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. With previous trade talks coming so close to moving Simmons out of Philadelphia — coupled with the comments of Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers to end the 76ers season — the writing appears to be on the wall."

Meanwhile, on the west coast, the Portland Trail Blazers refuse to surround Damian Lillard with elite talent despite the sharpshooter putting up an MVP-worthy campaign season after season. He is clearly fed up with the front office not making the right moves and yet again, this offseason has been underwhelming for the Oregon franchise.

Damian Lillard: "Where we are isn't good enough."Blazers additions:— Cody Zeller— Tony Snell— Ben McLemoreSomebody check on Dame. pic.twitter.com/khhTKNwMZe

— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 3, 2021

Another possibility that NBA analysts have considered is that Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons will start next season with their respective franchises but will get traded before the NBA trade deadline.

Only time will tell if this proposed trade between Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons goes through or not but until then all eyes are on the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers.