In the next week or so, the NBA Finals will come to an end and the champion will be crowned. For the 38th consecutive season, this team will no longer be the Philadelphia 76ers. Although they ended the regular season with the best record in the East and the No. 1 seed in the division, they once again ended the season earlier than expected.

They seem to have a problem with Ben Simmons. After another second round stall, more and more people-including the team’s head coach-are questioning whether there are any teams, even the frontcourt who won the MVP runner-up. The team can also win the championship with Simmons as the starting point guard. It’s hard to see him disappear in the second half of the game against the Hawks, sometimes even becoming a burden because of his poor free throw percentage and his unwillingness to attack. This is why most of the offseason so far has been trying to get Simmons out of town and place better and more complementary players around Joel Embiid.

Unfortunately, most rumors about Simmons’ suitors involve teams that are not capable of providing the type of return that Darryl Morey and his company are reportedly seeking.

But there are a few whales there. The type of player who put the 76ers at the other end of the negotiating table, they will give up multiple pieces together with Simmons to complete the deal.

One of the whales surfaced on Friday.

According to Henry Abbott of TrueHoop, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is Expected to request transactions in the next few days – with According to Yahoo!Chris HaynesLillard will discuss his future and Abbott’s report after the US team’s training in Las Vegas on Friday.

Although we don’t yet know what he will say, it may not be important. Even if Lillard publicly expressed his desire to return, this does not mean that this is what he said behind the scenes or the message that he conveyed to the team on his behalf. In addition, if he really wants to withdraw, he had better not speak out publicly, thereby damaging Portland’s influence in trade negotiations.

[UPDATE: Speaking late Friday afternoon, Lillard denied the Abbott report that he is planning on asking for a trade, and also said the politically correct thing in that he expects to be in a Blazers uniform next season. He also confirmed that he plans on meeting with new head coach Chauncey Billups and GM Neil Olshey on Friday. All that aside, Lillard did present some concerns about the direction of the franchise and the lack of urgency he’s seen out of them in recent years. Ultimately, Lillard said, he wants to retire a Blazer, but more importantly, he wants to win a title. So stay tuned…]

If this is the case-if Lillard is about to enter the trade zone-then the 76ers need to sign him at all costs.

what. once. it. need.

Compared with the Iverson era, the team is closer to the real championship battle, and now is not the time to fight steadily. Sit down and hope things fall in your lap. I think that doing it well is enough. No, now is the time for the 76ers to really go all out. To do this, you give up everything to allow Lillard to participate in the transaction.

Fortunately for the 76ers, they have the right person to manage their front desk. The experienced Morey replaced the inexperienced general manager Elton Brand last offseason as the team’s highest. Decision makers. They now also have a pedigree coach to attract top stars, and an MVP runner-up Joel Embiid partnered with him. The 76ers are clearly a team that is about to win the championship, and they must realize that adding a player like Lillard, even if it costs a lot-and it will pay. a lot of ——This is the current requirement for them.

The Sixers’ current championship window is inseparable from Embiid’s window. After all, he is the main reason for the 76ers’ current position. At least for the next few seasons, he is one of the most popular players in the East. If he continues to play, his huge body may not age gracefully. Work hard like him. In other words, it’s time for Philadelphia to actively fight for victory, because their window will never be as open as it is now.

Obviously, in any Lillard trade, the starting point for the 76ers will be Simmons.But because he has Since he entered the league, the warts on his body And because just a few weeks ago, all these problems were fully exposed in the playoffs, so this is just the starting point. For the Trail Blazers to part ways with Lillard, there is much more to do.

So, what else should the 76ers give up?

all. Well, almost everything, needless to say, Embiid is the only player who is reluctant to give up under any realistic situation. In addition, everything should be on the table.

Multiple first-round picks? why not? We have identified Embiid’s window-and the 76ers’ window-now. He hasn’t become younger, and although he is not old from any point of view, injuries will cause them to lose, and big people usually show more losses than most people show. I hope that young potential customers, even if they are lottery geniuses, have problems for two reasons. First of all, there is no guarantee that they will succeed. The 76ers do not necessarily have the best draft history, although the past two years have been better. But beyond that, even if they choose the right person, there is no guarantee that they will become the best of themselves—not to mention being ready to contribute to competitors—in the current window. At present, the first priority for the 76ers should be to win the championship in the next three to four years. Hoarding picks is not the way to do this, and these picks are more valuable to the team you think will be rebuilt after Lillard.

But the pick alone may not be enough to get Simmons out. If the 76ers want Lillard, they may also have to give up Tyrese Maxi, who passed by in his rookie season, or Mattis Sai, who was named to the NBA’s second best defensive team for the second time Bull despite his playing time is much less than his peers, but he still spent a year in the league. According to other offers from the Trail Blazers, this may cost the 76ers.

They should do it without hesitation.

Are Maxey and Thybulle two young and promising players? Absolutely. Are they worth sacrificing a player like Lillard? In their careers, there is not yet. In addition, the 76ers don’t have much else to give up, which is more significant than any first-round pick that the 76ers can provide.

Of course, the 76ers have players like Seth Curry and they will be attractive to other teams, but if the Trail Blazers trade Lillard, they are more likely to become a rebuilding team. In this case, 20 Early draft picks and players may have more Portland foreground value. Obviously, we didn’t mention Tobias Harris, because Simmons is already included in the transaction, it doesn’t make much sense to join Harris, and the same thing that applies to Curry also applies to Harris. But if Harris or Curry are the players that must be included-the Trail Blazers apparently sent back multiple players, or this is part of a large three-team deal with the 76ers, not just Lila De, will you really let this stop you? ? Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts, if there is no more information, we can not give a clear answer, but it can still show how these two guys are not as unshakable as Embiid.

The window for the 76ers to win is now. They have Embiid at their peak. They have a coach who has worked there and a CEO who is not afraid to make compelling moves. What they have left — if they do make a deal for Lillard — depends largely on how much the Blazers want in return, who has been their team for most of the past decade Spokesperson.

This will cost a lot. But regardless of the price, the 76ers should be willing to pay.