76ers Signing Ben Simmons to the Max is the Wrong Move for Philly

The 76ers are working on signing star point guard Ben Simmons to a max contract, according to the latest reports. Simmons is extremely talented, but why would the 76ers sign him to a max contract -- which will be extremely difficult to move down the line -- when the guard still has two seasons remaining on his current deal? The risks associated with extending him now are significant, as much as they'd like to reward their guy for his rise in the league.

Simmons' inability to spread the floor with shooting from the guard position has hurt Philadelphia on plenty of occasions, and with a starting five that now consists of two big men in Joel Embiid and Al Horford, plus a forward who can cover as a small ball five in Tobias Harris, the Sixers need three-point shooting options now more than ever. And Simmons isn't that.

Embiid is more the cornerstone Philly should be building around as opposed to Simmons, and the decision to extend him at max money for five years could prove to be a mistake for Philadelphia. The 76ers could package up Simmons in exchange for an utterly massive ransom; instead, they'll enter 2019-20 with some real questions about how their style of play meshes with the modern NBA.

There is no question that Simmons is supremely talented, but the 76ers should have chose to build around their center rather than try to continue piecing together a puzzle that seemingly has no solution given the way the game is played today. They can still win a ton of games heading in this direction, but their margin of error won't be especially broad.