Report: 76ers’ goal is ‘less to trade Ben Simmons and more to acquire Damian Lillard’

Rumors have continued that the Philadelphia 76ers want to trade Ben Simmons this offseason. So far, the Sixers haven’t made a move.

However, the front office appears committed to trying to acquire Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.

According to Derek Bodner of The Athletic, the 76ers are far more interested in acquiring Lillard than they are in getting rid of Simmons.

“Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has always been steadfast in his pursuit of superstars, with his team-building philosophy being the epitome of ‘star hunting’ long before the phrase was ever translated to Bostralian,” wrote Bodner. “From the very start of Morey’s tenure in Philadelphia the organization was almost singularly focused on monitoring the James Harden situation in Houston, according to sources both inside and out of the organization. Since the Sixers’ season ended the team has similarly kept a watchful eye on the status of Lillard in Portland. From the Sixers’ perspective, it would be fair to say the goal is less to trade Ben Simmons and more to acquire Damian Lillard.”

Even after a string of poor performances in the playoffs, Simmons still seems to be valued highly by the Sixers.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft has had a stellar career so far. He has career averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per contest. He has also been named to the NBA All-Star Game three times.

As for Lillard, he’s widely considered to be one of the best guards and leaders in the NBA.

Only time will tell if the Sixers will manage to make their offseason dreams a reality.