Full disclosure:

I’d rather stick needles in my eyes than write about Ben Simmons today, but Kevin O’Connor dropped a nugget at The Ringer that’s worth sharing.

It’s in a story about the LA Clippers, and what comes next for that franchise after they went out 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals sans Kawhi Leonard. Here’s the relevant passage:

Damian Lillard is disgruntled with the Trail Blazers, according to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes. It’s worth noting that in 2019 Lillard was on Leonard’s list of stars he wanted to team up with, league sources say. But Lillard has four seasons remaining on his contract. Portland doesn’t need to trade him. If it came to the point where a trade was inevitable, Los Angeles wouldn’t have many goodies to add to a trade involving George, and if the Blazers would rather have younger players and picks, the Clippers would easily be outbid.

There’s also Ben Simmons, the Sixers All-Star who spends nearly all of his off time in Los Angeles and would add a much-needed playmaking dimension to the Clippers. But regardless of the other pieces involved in a potential deal, would Leonard want to team up with Simmons after the latter’s disastrous postseason? Is that a deal the Sixers would want to make, when league sources say they’re also hoping for an opportunity to land Lillard?

Clippers are an interesting consideration. Ben just bought a house out there and we know he loves Los Angeles, but the thought was always that he’d want to team up with LeBron on the Lakers. There were never any Clippers rumors or considerations or trade machine proposals, at least none of significance.

Kawhi has a player option, as O’Connor mentions in the article. Serge Ibaka, too. Reggie Jackson and Nic Batum are free agents, and there’s not much in the way of value the Sixers could pursue in return for Simmons, depending on how you feel about Paul George, who begins a new max deal this coming season.


Lillard is still the #1 play, in my mind, but the Clippers are a destination to think about.