I voted Brown because of the all around quality but the right answer is probably Simmons. His floor is still all nba level. Who knows. Just keep Harden a couple more years.
A key intangible we've been missing is "killer instinct" and of all of the players listed, I see Herro with "killer instinct plus" and the ability to shoot and score at a high level (in regular season and play-offs). Of course he needs to improve defensively, but he competed at the highest level as a 20 year old rookie and excelled. I truly believe he has the highest offensive upside of any of the candidates. Is there risk? Of course there is, but he and the package we get back from the Heat has the a ton of potential. Most of their fans don't want to give him up, but really don't want Robinson traded either. Robinson is an incredible weapon in his own right and KZ and/or Precious would give us two really high upside guys with size to develop. I like Simmons a lot except for his shot--it's super limiting and given how bad his mechanics and feel for shooting are, I'm not sure how good its going to get. I like Brown, but not really anything else Boston has to offer. No to Den (unless Murray is in play) or NJ. I believe MIA can offer us the best package, especially if they can re-route the other pieces to sweeten the pot.
Last year was a pretty big red flag. The year before Raptors were so deep between Lowry, Siakam, Powell, Gasol, Ibaka and Freddy all playing well I would say anyone proved to be the second option on a championship team.
Brandon Ingram is better than all of them. But I will admit if Simmons can find some range he is a top 10 talent. Would that gamble be enough to roll the dice?
After further research "watching highlights" .. I think I've started to warm up to Pascal Siakim. He's reminding me of a slightly poor man's Kevin Durant. He's no where near his prime. He can shoot, play-make, play D.. him and Wood in the front court would be Nasty. I want to send Harden to Philly in a 3 way to really maximize talent. http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=ycdxwgon 3 way trade with Philly and Toronto.. Philly gets Harden: Toronto gets Simmons, Tucker Houston Gets Siakam, OG, Stanley Johnson, Thybulle, Maxey, and 3 first round picks frm Philly
Harden Brown Simmons Spicy P Herro You're never gonna fill the massive void Harden will leave in the playmaking department. He is a generational player. Keep him. But if I had to trade him, only Simmons is close to current value. The rest need to be part of a package with a lesser star than Simmons. However, I also believe the rest have more potential than Simmons. I feel like Simmons is close to his ceiling unless he learns how to shoot. Id go all out 2002 NJ Nets game plan if Simmons is my primary playmaker. Just run run run. Brown is where Harden was when we got him. Not the primary option in his current situation, but you can see the potential. He checks all the boxes. He seems to have another level if given the opportunity to be the man. I’d like to see if he can make plays for others more, but I don’t believe he’s asked to do that. Simmons is next on the list because of his playmaking. I really don’t prefer him because his shooting mentality is just that bad, but his place among stars is already there. He plays one way on offense. Whether he’s dribbling it up or playing from post, he’s gonna get to the basket and make reads along the way. Much like Harden, except Harden can step back for a three and is the best at drawing fouls on drives. Simmons makes up for that on the defensive end though. I do believe you have to trade Wall if Simmons is here though. Siakam is very versatile at his position. We have that in Wood though. They’d make an interesting pairing, but i feel they’d take away from each other. Losing Harden for minimal playmaking in return would be real bad though. Herro is interesting. Definitely not enough as the centerpiece for Harden. Gonna need Bam which isn’t possible. Herro has the right mentality and vision to be a playmaker. His forte is obviously his shot. But his physical characteristics will limit him in this league. Limited athleticism, strength, and wingspan. He’s Kevin Martin. Smooth shooter. A little playmaking potential, but I’m not confident he’ll reach it.
Brown and Herro are Dawgs but Simmons potential is thru the roof. This guy could be Lebron James if he hires a hall a game playmaker that can get his jumpshot together
Yep, I changed my mind. I like the Celtics package. Especially if they can get Theis and 2-3 frp. Wall/Smart Gordon/McLemore Brown/Nwaba/S. Brown Wood/House Cousins/Theis If healthy then that’s probably a 7th or 8th seed. Maybe they could use the picks to go after @D-rock’s boy, AG.
As far as individual players go, I’d prefer them in this order: Simmons, Brown, Siakam, Herro. Despite Simmons lack of shooting, he’s the best defender and primary facilitator of an NBA offense in the group. If he could shoot at all, he wouldn’t even be available. Jaylen Brown edges out Siakam for me best because he’s two years younger (24 vs 26), and both are comparable two-way players. Herro is last because he’s bad defensively, and I need to see more from him before I feel comfortable making him the centerpiece of a trade for James Harden. Which trade package I ultimately prefer depends on how many other quality pieces (picks and players) each team is willing to include.
not to harp on Simmons because I really do love his play style (reminds me of a bigger rondo) but I think he has a couple more fatal flaws that aren’t advertised as often. We know he can’t shoot but to me what’s a bigger deal is that he cannot play the lead initiator in a half court offense. His PPP on pick and roll handlers isn’t good. If you watch his assists he gets them in transition and early in the shot clock. He can make all the passes but it’s usually out of the big man spot/transition/post. If you build the wall in postseason he can’t score or initiate. He relied on a semi passable post game and standing in the dunkers/short corner spot. His lack of half court offense and positions will be a real hindrance. Right now he’s a transition initiator half court big man and a hawk on defense. He’s very interesting as a player but I just don’t see how hell. Be more than a mid tier all star if his half court offense (initiation, iso, or shooting) doesn’t improve.
I think he's gonna get moved, most likely after this season. It has been obvious that he doesn't play well with Embiid, and once they disappoint again in the postseason, Simmons will have to be moved. Sad thing is that all the pressure in the postseason falls on Embiid who usually gets zero help from Simmons and Simmons gets no flak for disappearing in big games.
Jayden Brown highlights really do make him look like he has another step up in his game... ... BUT... they’re highlights.
