According to a report, NBA executives still expect Philadelphia 76ers point guard Ben Simmons to be traded.
“The 76ers opened up trade conversations around Simmons, the three-time All-Star, in July, but so far their conversations have not reached the cusp of a deal,” wrote Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Philadelphia has conducted expansive discussions with several teams, including Minnesota and Toronto, but neither a [Minnesota] Timberwolves package nor the [Toronto] Raptors’ proposals have appealed to the 76ers as of yet. Philadelphia has set a high price threshold for teams to meet in talks for Simmons thus far.
“So far, Simmons’ situation remains the same. While the 76ers have told teams they are comfortable bringing Simmons back for the 2021-22 season, rival executives believe it’s only a matter of when — not if — the All-Defensive team stalwart is moved.
“For now, all signs continue to point to Simmons’ career in Philadelphia coming to an end.”
The Simmons era in Philadelphia has turned into a disaster this offseason. Once the 2020-21 campaign ended, a trade involving the former first-round pick has seemed inevitable, but the belief is that the 76ers’ asking price has been too high to get a deal done.
The situation reached a low point earlier this month when Simmons reportedly stopped communicating with the organization. Additionally, Simmons’ relationship with head coach Doc Rivers is apparently in shambles.
For all of those reasons, it would likely be a very awkward situation if Simmons were to return to the 76ers for the 2021-22 season. It seems like the two sides are going to have to part ways.
The 25-year-old Simmons averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game last season. He’s still a very talented player, and he has the potential to eventually evolve into a superstar. Only time will tell what his future holds.
