Ben Simmons will not be a member of the Golden State Warriors next season. While the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star will likely be moved at some point soon, a recent report from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that Golden State has turned down what was a pretty darn ridiculous offer from the 76ers to acquire Simmons.
According to the NBA insider, the 76ers’ offer included Golden State sending the likes of Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman to Philadelphia. In addition to that, Sixers front office head Daryl Morey was requesting the seventh and 14th picks in the 2021 NBA Draft as well as two future first-round selections.
One league executive said the Sixers are making ‘totally outlandish offers,’” Pompey added. As for the Warriors, they basically assumed “the 76ers’ offer was a joke.”
Following some major struggles in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, it appears that Philadelphia’s view of Ben Simmons’ trade value is much higher than the teams it is discussing trades with for the All-Star point guard.
It was previously noted that Philadelphia offered to send Simmons to the San Antonio Spurs for four future first-round picks and three pick swaps as well as a young player. Obviously, a smart Spurs front office turned that down without thinking twice.
Simmons, 25, has earned three consecutive All-Star appearances, but his numbers were in dramatic decline this past season. The former No. 1 pick averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists while shooting 61% during the regular year. He then followed that up by shooting the lowest percentage from the free-throw line in NBA Playoff history (34.2%) before Philadelphia was ousted in the conference semifinals.
While teams like the Golden State Warriors might be desperate to add a “star” player to the mix, Philadelphia will have to lower its asking price for Ben Simmons if it is going to move him this summer.