Golden State Warriors: 5 potential trade packages for D’Angelo Russell
The Sleeper: Philadelphia 76ers
Centerpiece: Tobias Harris or Ben Simmons
This is where things get interesting. Remember, we are trying to predict a trade that’s over a season away and a lot can happen in the NBA in one season.
The 76ers look like the biggest competition for the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference. While they lost Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat, they recouped young wing Josh Richardson and used their cap space to sign Al Horford.
In fact, the team now has a surplus of wings without much in the way of guards. It makes perfect sense that they’d line up with the Warriors who find themselves in the opposite predicament.
The Sixers will be relying on Ben Simmons to act as the team’s point guard. He has the passing capabilities to do that, but questions about his jump shot remain present.
The Golden State Warriors depth is different, but the core is still together. light. More
If Simmons’ remains unwilling to attempt jump shots, would the team consider swapping him for Russell?
Simmons clearly has the higher ceiling, but Philadelphia remains thin on shooting. A lineup of Russell, Richardson, Tobias Harris, Horford, and Joel Embiid would be both deep and extremely versatile.
However, parting with Simmons remains unlikely.
I remain a big believer in Richardson and first-round selection Matisse Thybulle. Their development could make Harris somewhat dispensable. At the moment, he is vital to Philly because of his shooting, but if Simmons begins to progress that becomes less necessary.
If Russell shows acumen playing with Curry, he could be an ideal fit alongside Simmons as Richardson takes a larger role in the action.
Harris may be as close to an ideal offensive fit with the Warriors as possible. The 27-year old has shot over 40% from three-point range over the past two seasons and would slide in perfectly alongside the current core.
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Defensively, he’s a bit like Gordon in that he’s best as a stretch-four, but that situation remains preferable to the lineups with Curry and Russell in the backcourt.
Both Simmons and Harris will be under max-contracts that have very similar structures to Russell after next season. This means that they could be swapped one-for-one.
If the Warriors were going to acquire Simmons they would likely have to part with an additional asset (perhaps a pick or Kevon Looney), while Harris could make more sense as a straight-up deal.