Podcast: Why Lakers fans should be paying attention to the Ben Simmons trade rumors

Ben Simmons has become one of the NBA’s most polarizing players. He has tremendous talent and, in the right circumstance, could very easily help a team win a championship. He’s also completely unwilling to look for his own shot and has demanded out of Philadelphia. In this pilot episode of “The Hook,” my co-host Aaron Larsuel and I examined the situation, and how it might affect the Lakers.

Simmons is fascinating because on one hand, he is certainly a player worth giving quite a bit up for, yet because of how his tenure in Philly appears to be ending, no team seems willing to meet Daryl Morey’s incredible asking price. So, given how these trade demands have gone (Kobe Bryant’s specifically) and where his potential suitors are at (as well as the Sixers, themselves), Aaron and I tried to predict how this thing might play out.

Spoiler: It’s damn near impossible to predict how this thing might play out.

There is, however, a trade that might make quite a bit of sense for everyone involved. I offer up a Kyrie Irving-Simmons swap, which leads to a whole ‘nother conversation about why Brooklyn might be fielding offers for their polarizing point guard.

From there, we discussed Anthony Davis and how the rest of the league might feel about which position he prefers to play. As Aaron explains, not everyone is necessarily all that worried about Davis at center.

We wrap up the show with story time, and I swear there isn’t a typo in the sentence you’re about to read: At one point in his life, Aaron was ready to fight Shaquille O’Neal.

You can listen to the full episode below, and to make sure you never miss a show, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

And for a short-form recap pod, check out Lakers Lowdown, in which Anthony Irwin recaps the previous day’s news and gets you ready for the day ahead in LakerLand, every weekday morning on the Silver Screen & Roll Podcast feed.