Philadelphia 76ers All-Star point guard Ben Simmons has remained away from the team for the first 37 games of the 2021-22 campaign.
This past off-season saw Simmons request a trade from Philadelphia, only to be fined for failing to show up to training camp.
From there, it’s been a downhill relationship between Simmons and the organization. That included a suspension and Simmons alleging Philadelphia didn’t care about his mental health.
The backdrop here has been on again, off again trade rumors surrounding Simmons. We’re now at that point again with roughly a month to go before the NBA trade deadline.
“Daryl Morey has broadened his scope for potential trade targets as he looks to trade Ben Simmons. He had been adamant on only trading Ben for a select few players,” Philadelphia 76ers insider Jason Dumas reported. “I’m told there’s now a list of 25 guys who he’d accept straight up or in a package.”
- Ben Simmons stats (career): 15.9 PPF, 8.1 RPG, 7.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 56% field goal, 19.8 PER
It was previously noted that Philadelphia was looking for an All-Star caliber play and change for Simmons. In fact, the team reportedly requested Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman and four first-round picks from the Golden State Warriors ahead of the 2021 NBA Draft. A similar request was made to the San Antonio Spurs, both of whom were shot down almost immediately.
Related: Updated NBA trade rumors
Ben Simmons trade value
This is a huge sticking point right now. And based on Dumas’ report, things could change dramatically. All of the drama in Philadelphia started during the 2021 NBA Playoffs with Simmons struggling big time in the team’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
- Ben Simmons playoff stats (2021): 11.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 8.8 APG, 62% shooting, 34% free throw
This led to Philadelphia being taken out in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games. If Simmons had even performed at his career level, the team likely would’ve made it to the final four.
This has also led to major questions about how other teams value Simmons and whether a trade can be worked out. Specifically, there’s concern over Simmons’ lack of a mid-range or long-distance shooting game.
By Morey expanding the list of players Philadelphia might be interested in ahead of the deadline, it now stands to reason that something might get done over the next five weeks.
Related: Ideal Ben Simmons trade scenarios
Realistically, it could be concluded that the likes of Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins and Bradley Beal (all previously bandied about in trade rumors) are off the table.
There’s also been reported interest in Simmons from the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves. Assuming De’Aaron Fox and Anthony Edwards are not on the table, trades with those two teams could work out. That includes Sacramento offering up Buddy Hield and Marvin Bagley as well as Minnesota sending a package centering on D’Angelo Russell.
Either way, expect Ben Simmons trade rumors to pick up steam ahead of the February 10 NBA trade deadline. This report take that to a whole new level.
