Celtics would have to give up massive piece in potential Ben Simmons trade

The Celtics have reportedly discussed a Ben Simmons trade with the 76ers but Boston would have to part with one of their biggest names at minimum.

Any hope that the Ben Simmons situation would start to sort itself out has been unfounded through the first few weeks of the 2021-22 NBA season. The 76ers have started fining the 6-foot-11 guard once again and reports indicate there are persistent issues with Simmons meeting with mental health specialists.

That, however, hasn’t stopped the trade rumors from flying. Most recently, the Boston Celtics were thrown into the potential mix for Simmons.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (subscription required), the 76ers and Celtics have had conversations regarding Simmons and a possible trade but there’s nothing with traction that’s developed yet.

The biggest nugget of that report, however, was the one piece Boston would have to give up in such a deal as of right now.

Celtics would have to trade Jaylen Brown to 76ers for Ben Simmons

Charania reported that the Celtics would have to part with Jaylen Brown, who has been on a star-bound ascent of late, in order to land Simmons in a trade.

That, of course, wouldn’t be the only piece that would be involved in a Celtics-76ers trade that would then be loaded with star-power, but the requirement from Philadelphia of Boston including Brown does raise the stakes tremendously.

Having said that, the Celtics are off to a troublesome start to the season at 4-6. If things don’t take an upswing with their current roster, could the front office look to aggressively reshape things in Boston? It’s entirely possible, which makes the latest Simmons trade rumors that much more intriguing as two high-profile young stars could be on the move in that case.