Damian Lillard endorses Ben Simmons to the Trail Blazers; what now?

According to Shams Charania of the Athletic, Damian Lillard cherishes the idea of bringing Ben Simmons to the Portland Trail Blazers.

This is huge news. It was no secret that Dame was unhappy with the roster when he took a look around in the offseason, but this is the first real evidence of him making any notion of a specific move he’d like the team to make.

This specific trade has been dissected over and over again since Simmons’s debacle in Game 7 in the Philadelphia 76ers Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. A CJ McCollum-Ben Simmons swap made perfect sense. The Trail Blazers needed defensive help and additional playmaking. The Sixers needed perimeter scoring and shot creation.

Those needs have only since been amplified as both teams have struggled in the early season. Now with Lillard going public and Simmons echoing Dame’s desire to team up, what comes next?

Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons publicly want to team up

The first step would be identifying if Interim General Manager Joe Cronin is able, and willing, to make such a big move while the Trail Blazers continue their search for a permanent replacement for Neil Olshey.

The trade deadline isn’t until February 10th, so the team technically has plenty of time to find a new president. Question is, how long is Lillard willing to wait around with this sad-sack of a team?

If this move is going to be pulled, it needs to happen as soon as possible — for the sake of all parties involved.

Pros and cons of a Ben Simmons trade

There’s obvious benefits to acquiring a 25-year-old behemoth who moves like a gazelle and already has All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive honors under his belt. There are some possible negatives in the shadows as well.

Pros:

-Ben Simmons would instantly upgrade the Blazers defense. Think a of a more athletic, bigger, less cerebral Draymond Green. Simmons can guard all five positions and fly all over the court as a help defender. It’s hard to transform a defense by just changing one player,  but a CJ McCollum-Ben Simmons swap’s impact on the Blazers defense cannot be overstated.

-Simmons is theoretically a perfect fit for the type of offense that Head Coach Chauncey Billups wants to run. Ben, despite his shooting inadequacies, would thrive in a system predicated on ball and player movement. Oftentimes, unless a player is a three-level scorer, they’re not considered a versatile threat on offense, but that’s not always true. Simmons can act as both a pick-and-roll ballhandler and screener, can create for himself and other off of the dribble, is a terror in transition, and will always find the open man.

-Simmons will bring a much needed injection of youth, athleticism, and above all else, just newness to a Trail Blazers roster that has grown stale. It’s never a good idea to make a trade just to make a trade, but it’s also a bad idea to keep churning out the same product and expect different results. Portland seems more than one move away from a championship-caliber roster, but there’s no telling how much hope and energy Simmons could bring to whoever’s left on the Blazers after the trade.

Cons:

-The Trail Blazers are perceived to have the offensive weapons to cover for Simmons’s deficiencies, but that might not be the case following the trade. If Daryl Morey demands CJ McCollum and Anfernee Simons back in the move, the Blazers will only be left with Lillard and Norman Powell as above average offensive threats. Depending on who comes over to Rip City with Simmons, Portland’s offense and spacing could be more hamstrung than originally thought.

-Simmons’s arrival would also demand further moves to be made. Playing Jusuf Nurkic and Ben at the same time is asking for an offensive slog. Robert Covington would also need to be moved to the bench — where he’d be redundant with Larry Nance Jr. — or traded as well.

-Daryl Morey’s original asking price was CJ McCollum, three first-round picks, and three first-round pick swaps. Now, with CJ’s trade value slightly diminished and Portland’s leverage all but dissipated, how much will Philly demand in return? There’s almost no doubt that Morey will seek one of Ant or Nassir Little along with multiple first-rounders and CJ. If the Dame-Simmons pairing doesn’t work out, and Dame eventually asks out of Rip City, it will be hard to carve out a quick path for a rebuild.

With all that in mind, is going all-in for Ben Simmons worth it? If it keeps Dame Time ticking in Rip City for the rest of his career, then undoubtedly yes. If not, this risk could send Portland into a loooooong rebuild.