Report: Cavs are an ‘interesting team to watch’ for Ben Simmons

The Cleveland Cavaliers could be a potential landing spot for disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

“Here’s an interesting team to watch, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who before they went on this really incredible start to the season, had been engaged with Philly on Simmons,” said Wojnarowski. “They’ve got some really intriguing assets either in a straight deal with Philly or perhaps a three or four team deal, and we reported earlier J.B. Bickerstaff agreed to a new extension today through ’26-’27, but this is a team in Cleveland that’s just a game out of third place.”

Cleveland has been one of the league’s most pleasant surprises this season. It is currently 19-13 and has a good chance of making it back to the playoffs after a lengthy absence.

As great as the team has been this year, the roster appears to be built to contend in the long run. Several of its top players, including Jarrett Allen, Collin Sexton, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland are not older than 23 years old.

Simmons, 25, clearly fits those other players’ windows.

If the Cavs do acquire the 6-foot-11 point guard, he would easily become the young core’s most accomplished player. Simmons has career averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. He has also been named to the All-Star team three times and has earned two NBA All-Defensive First Team selections.

Of course, the Sixers would likely want a king’s ransom in any deal for a player of Simmons’ caliber. It is unclear if the Cavs would be willing to give up that much to acquire the star.

Only time will tell if Cleveland will indeed be involved in trade discussions for Simmons.