The Ben Simmons saga: 5 NBA teams in the East who can take advantage of the situation at Philadelphia 76ers

#3 Ben Simmons saga effect on the Washington Wizards

Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons #25 taking a layup over the Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards lost in the first round of the playoffs to the 76ers and Ben Simmons last season. Simmons had a good series against the Wizard, averaging 14.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 9.2 assists in the five-game series.

Last season, even if the 76ers didn’t have Simmons, the 76ers might have still won, but the Wizards have a better-organized team with more depth this season. With that, the Wizards could once again be a play-in team that wins the games. They would then be a low-seed playoff team and might not face the 76ers.

However, the Wizards will be a quality team this year, and they could gain some quality regular-season victories against the Simmons-less 76ers team. Those wins could validate how they are playing as they could become a playoff team.

#2 Ben Simmons saga effect on the Miami Heat

Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons #25 on defense against the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are looking for revenge, and not really against the 76ers, but the Eastern Conference. The 76ers could be caught in the crossfire. The Heat added Kyle Lowrey to the roster, which is an immediate upgrade on the team.

The Heat will be one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this season, and they might use the Simmons-less 76ers as a steppingstone. The Heat will likely not be the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but if the 76ers slump a little in the regular season, they could be battling it out late in the season.

With Ben Simmons, the 76ers have an overall better roster than the Heat, but it becomes a lot more even when you take Simmons out. This could lead to a great battle in the playoff standings between the two, as they can both be final contenders but still be a tier below the Bucks and the Nets. This could eventually lead to an exciting playing matchup between the 76ers and Heat, as Heat star Jimmy Butler was not offered a contract after his season with the 76ers.

#1 Ben Simmons saga effect on the Atlanta Hawks

Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons #25 taking a layup against the Atlanta Hawks

If Ben Simmons never plays for the 76ers again or is eventually traded, the Atlanta Hawks can say they did that. The Hawks' seven-game series last season with the 76ers is the series that broke the camel’s back for the 76ers organization, coaching staff, fans, and Simmons himself. Because the Hawks are kind of the ignition to this fire, they can use this as fuel for their season.

The Hawks already see themselves as underdogs and as if they are not at the same level as other Eastern Conference contenders, and they might not be. However, they beat the 76ers with Simmons and made it to Game 6 with the eventual NBA Champion Bucks.

This gives a massive chip on the shoulder of the Hawks, and when the leader of your team is Trae Young, who always plays with a chip on his shoulder, it can’t get better. The Hawks will use last season’s playoff success to drive them this season and push themselves to a higher playoff seed. Maybe they even surface the 76ers while they do so.