Now that the Philadelphia 76ers have been eliminated from the playoffs, there are a ton of rumors surrounding the team and its players. One of those pieces that have been speculated over is Ben Simmons. Simmons can't shoot a three-point shot to save his life and because of his size and skill set, his game conflicts with that of Joel Embiid. For this reason, many pundits believe the 76ers should trade Simmons and get some big pieces in return. NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh wrote a recent article where he says some unnamed executives around the league believe LeBron James might be the 76ers target and that a trade could be made in the Summer. It's been speculated that LeBron is unhappy with the Lakers front office and that there aren't enough pieces to make the team a championship contender. "It's early in that process. Leonard's shot just fell through the net. But one Western Conference executive brought up a name that could be a Simmons trade target: LeBron James," Haberstroh wrote. "'I think they very well might explore that,' said a rival executive of Philadelphia." At first glance, a Simmons for James trade sounds insane but considering it's the NBA we're talking about here, you never know what can happen. Would you want to see this or should James try and ride it out in Los Angeles?<doc-sep>Chris Szagola/Associated Press The NBA rumor mill is continually pumping out information, and the news only gets busier as more teams are eliminated from the playoffs. Mere hours after the Toronto Raptors eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers, point guard Ben Simmons joined the headlines. The Sixers' All-Star is suddenly being connected to trade rumors, something that already caught LeBron James within the last few days. Wait, what? If LeBron can land in these discussions, it's safe to say nobody in the NBA is incapable of gracing the rumor mill this offseason. Brett Brown to Return in Philly Despite overseeing a 50-win team for the second straight year―a mark the franchise hadn't reached since 2000-01 prior to last season―Brett Brown's job security was a question. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Brown will be back in 2019-20. Surely it didn't hurt to have such immense support from the players. Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice shared the passionate defenses of Brown from Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick. "I heard about all these rumors and stuff and I just thought it was bulls--t," Embiid said. "He's done a fantastic job. He's been there through everything and this year I think he grew even more as a coach. He learned; we all learned." Video Play Button Videos you might like Butler praised Brown for having a huge heart and working incredibly hard; Redick added the coach's success should speak for itself. It was loud enough for another year. Ben Simmons Headed to the Block? Although the 76ers don't have a Ben Simmons problem, they have a Ben Simmons discussion. The first-time All-Star was frustratingly mediocre during the playoffs, mustering just 11.6 points and 4.9 assists per game against the Raptors. Tom Haberstoh of NBC Sports Philadelphia notes some executives around the NBA consider Simmons' lack of improvement in his shooting as a sign he's not serious about his development: "Fair or not, Simmons failing to add some semblance of a jump shot in year two of his career is seen as a reason that Philadelphia has to put him on the trade block." The smart guess is he returns to Philly next season. However, it's at least a conversation worth entertaining. Simmons needs to either develop an 18-footer or have Joel Embiid become a more efficient long-range weapon. Otherwise, the Sixers' spacing will again be a nightmare in the playoffs. And we'll be approaching this same topic next year. Lakers Making LeBron James Available? Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press We'll give you a moment to stop laughing. Less than 12 months removed from LeBron heading out to Los Angeles, fans are disgruntled and some people have apparently suggested exploring a trade to Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. Haberstroh said a Western Conference executive believes the Sixers may explore a trade involving Simmons and LeBron. However, that's simply a third party suggesting Philly could approach the subject―not a report of a previous conversation. James doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract, so a deal technically is possible. He's not going anywhere, though. The Lakers finally have a star again; why would they willingly lose him? This topic has floated around the headlines―longer than anticipated, even―but it shouldn't be taken seriously. Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.<doc-sep>
Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers had their own versions of disappointing seasons. Now, reports have surfaced that LeBron James and Ben Simmons could one day switch teams. On Monday, NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh reported that certain unnamed league executives believe that the potential blockbuster trade could come as soon as this summer. The thinking goes that Philadelphia realizes that its pillars of Joel Embiid and Simmons are not capable of reaching their full potential due to Simmons' inability to space the floor. This could prompt them to consider trading Simmons in favor of building around Embiid. Meanwhile, the Lakers' window to build a contender around James isn't getting any bigger. "It's early in that process. Leonard's shot just fell through the net. But one Western Conference executive brought up a name that could be a Simmons trade target: LeBron James," Haberstroh writes. "'I think they very well might explore that,' said a rival executive of Philadelphia." Haberstroh points out that there are a lot of wrinkles that need to be ironed out for this trade to even become a possibility. The biggest issue is the glaring gap between the players' salaries. Simmons is scheduled to pull in a little over $8 million next year, while LeBron will make over $37 million. That means Philly would have to move more than just Simmons to balance out their cap space. But does the deal make sense for either team? By trading away key role players to clear cap room, the Sixers could be left with an injury-prone Embiid, James, and a depleted bench. As for the Lakers, adding a still maturing Simmons to its already young core wouldn't guarantee immediate success. Either way, these rumors suggest that the NBA's summer could be more seismic than we think.