With roughly a week to go before the NBA trade deadline, Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers remains the hottest name on the market.
Having sat out all season due to a rift with the Sixers’ organization, the three-time All-Star point guard remains a divisive figure around the Association.
As for Philadelphia, prevous reports suggested that the team might wait until the summer to pull off a Simmons blockbuster. Front office head Daryl Morey is seemingly going big-game hunting with James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets being an off-season target.
We’re now hearing more on the Ben Simmons front courtesy of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Interest in the guard remains high. However, opposing teams don’t feel an urgency to pull off a trade and are seemingly put off by Morey’s role in conversations.
“The value is there. A lot of teams who want him, but I don’t know there’s anybody who thinks we can’t live without him,” said Wojnarowski on his podcast. “They certainly don’t value him at the level Philly has wanted in trade packages.”
That’s been the longest standing issue in Simmons trade talks dating back to the end of the 2020-21 season. Initially, Philadelphia demanded four first-round picks, James Wiseman and Andrew Wiggins from the Golden State Warriors. They presented a same offer to the San Antonio Spurs leading up to the 2021 NBA Draft. Both offers were turned down in quick fashion. For opposing general managers, this continues to be an issue.
“There are a lot of GMs who will tell you, I had one tell me today, certainly a team that has the pieces to do a Ben Simmons’ trade… ‘Daryl has to call me. I’m not calling him. He has to call me with offers.’ There are teams who feel that,” Woj noted in his podcast.
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Can a Ben Simmons trade come together before the NBA trade deadline?
With the deadline set for February 10, time is running out on this front. Interestingly, we’re actually hearing more about the drama-filled situation from Philadelphia’s brass. That recently included head coach Doc Rivers, who had not really touched on the topic all season.
In response to Simmons reportedly being upset over the 76ers’ brass not showing up to meet with him in Los Angeles during the summer, Rivers pushed back in a big way.
“It’s all posturing. That’s why you haven’t heard me – I don’t get involved in all that stuff. I’ll leave that up to the front office and Ben’s camp. I’m staying out of that part. But, listen, some of this stuff I laugh at and I feel bad. I think Ben’s a good kid. I want Ben to do well.”
Doc Rivers on Ben Simmons, via Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier
By going against the grain and opening up on the situation, Rivers might be making it known he’d like to see Philadelphia find a way to trade the disgruntled Simmons. The point guard’s perceived unhappiness with franchise cornerstone Joel Embiid adds another layer to this.
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Right now, it’s all about Morey setting a realistic asking price for a player in Simmons who has failed to take that next step. Remember, it all stems from his struggles in the playoffs a season ago and the fact that Simmons is not happy about how Embiid and the 76ers’ organization handled it.
Philadelphia currently finds itself at 31-19 on the season and boasting the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. The team has been red hot since a 15-15 start to the season, winning 16 of its past 20 games.
As for a trade market for Ben Simmons, the Sacramento Kings just took themselves out of the running. They were the most bandied about destination for the All-Star guard. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs have also been talked about.