NBA Writer Makes Bold Ben Simmons, Doc Rivers Prediction

With the NBA trade deadline just weeks away, rumors and predictions continue to flood the internet. Considering the Philadelphia 76ers possess the biggest

With the NBA trade deadline just weeks away, rumors and predictions continue to flood the internet. Considering the Philadelphia 76ers possess the biggest prospect available on the trade market in Ben Simmons, the Sixers continue to be the talk of the league.

That's been the case for a while now. Ever since Ben Simmons and his camp requested a trade following the conclusion of last season's playoff run, there have been countless rumors of where Simmons might end up.

One NBA writer and podcast host, in particular, has made his "official" prediction on where Simmons might end up when the trade deadline comes and goes.

The Ringer's Bill Simmons Weighs In

The Ringer founder Bill Simmons took to Twitter on Saturday to release what he considers his official prediction regarding a Simmons trade.

Per Simmons, he believes that the Sixers' disgruntled star lands with the Indiana Pacers along with a protected first-round pick. In exchange, the Sixers would receive the 29-year-old guard/forward Jeremy Lamb and Indiana's star power forward/center Domantas Sabonis. 

My official prediction for a Ben Simmons trade…

BS + a protected 1st to Indiana for Sabonis + Lamb’s expiring.

Indy jumpstarts the 2022 tanking process. Philly super-sizes w/ a top-35 guy (and if it doesn’t work, a summer trade asset). They *cannot* waste this Embiid season.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 22, 2022

Sabonis, like Simmons, is an intriguing prospect on the trade market for many teams as the Pacers get started on a rebuild. While Sabonis would undoubtedly boost a team's chances of making a deep run in the playoffs, his fit in Philadelphia would be awkward at best.

Unless there is a follow-up move, which sends Tobias Harris packing, the Sixers create a problem similar to the one they had in 2019-2020 when they employed Al Horford. That's not to say that Sabonis is Horford, but his presence would force the Sixers to move Tobias Harris to the three, which proved to be a bad fit in the past.

Harris has been disappointing at times this season, but the Sixers don't have a desire to replace him. Instead, they need a player that complements Joel Embiid and Harris. So, a small forward or guard would be a better fit for the Sixers.

Doc Rivers to Where?

"Since we're here," Simmons tweeted in a follow-up to his Ben Simmons prediction. "My official prediction for next season's Lakers coach… Doc Rivers."

Well, that's quite the change of pace. Out in Los Angeles, the Lakers are struggling to keep a playoff seed in the Western Conference right now. With that, there are talks of the Lakers potentially moving on from their head coach, Frank Vogel.

Meanwhile, it seems Bill Simmons envisions a scenario where the Sixers move on from Doc Rivers. Outsiders looking in might not find that idea to be too far-fetched, but there hasn't been any real indication that Doc Rivers is on the hot seat in Philadelphia.

Sure, the Sixers blew their chances of making a championship run last year, but their issues went beyond Rivers' coaching as some of the team's stars didn't step up in the playoffs when they needed to the most.

The Sixers might be struggling more than they did last year when they notched the first seed in the Eastern Conference, but they've also dealt with tons of absences throughout the year in addition to missing their three-time All-Star guard.

Rivers might have his flaws, but the chances of him moving from Philadelphia back to Los Angeles to coach the Lakers seem unrealistic right now.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.